Samsung's high-density 16Gb NAND flash released: cheaper, faster SSDs on the way

We're chomping at the bit for Solid State Disk (SSD) drives in our laptops here at Engadget HQ. The durability of flash coupled with the cut in weight, extended battery life, silent operation, and boost in boot and sleep recovery times almost makes us dig deep -- really deep -- for the luxury. Well, SSD ubiquity takes a tiny step forward today with Samsung releasing their new high-density (50-nanometer) 16Gb multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory modules for sample. These modules are destined for SSDs, external memory cards, or for packing into the latest "world's slimmest" cellphone. Samsung's first 50-nm NAND modules double the read speed of conventional MLC NAND (not SLC NAND) while increasing write performance by 150%. Mass production begins in Q1 2007 which will undoubtedly bring along a drop in price to the existing, not-exactly-lethargic 32GB SSDs already loosed on the market. Oh tiny wafers of mobility, how we love thee.

[Mo @ Jan 3rd 2007 10:18AM]

These things need to be put into a true video iPod!!!

[Mrfreezie @ Jan 3rd 2007 10:21AM]

PSP2 anyone?

[Ryu @ Jan 3rd 2007 10:31AM]

Finally.
This is hopefully the beginning on our path to rid ourselves of conventional hard drives.
I hate hardware with moving parts.

[james @ Jan 3rd 2007 10:33AM]

anyone know the exact size of these things? are the 16gb the same as the 32gb?

[Kenny @ Jan 3rd 2007 11:53AM]

No, this isn't the same as 32 GB. This is 16 Gb. That is equal to 2 GB.

[andy @ Jan 3rd 2007 12:31PM]

I'll bet they mean 16 gigabyte since that's what we all talk storage in nowadays.


btw, he was asking if they had a standard form factor for ssd drives yet. I personally hope they just keep the 2.5" laptop standard for backward compatibility.

[Jeff @ Jan 3rd 2007 12:40PM]

Nah, they mean GigaBit...

Seoul , Korea – January 3, 2007 : Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, announced that it is now sampling its 16-gigabit (Gb) NAND flash memory with customers – the first NAND flash using 50 nanometer (nm) process technology.

[Jeff @ Jan 3rd 2007 12:42PM]

Nah, they mean GigaBit...

Seoul , Korea – January 3, 2007 : Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, announced that it is now sampling its 16-gigabit (Gb) NAND flash memory with customers – the first NAND flash using 50 nanometer (nm) process technology.

[Magnet @ Jan 3rd 2007 1:30PM]

Too bad they didn't have a real photo of the device ( I guess 35+ year old technology is more impressive). I'll bet they aren't putting this baby into a 40 pin DIP package......

[Dan @ Jan 3rd 2007 1:35PM]

Looks like someone bent two pins on that chip..

[Crazylink @ Jan 3rd 2007 3:00PM]

I don't understand how flash memory would make a good replacement for a hard drive. Don't they have a max number of read/write cycles?

[par @ Jan 3rd 2007 3:13PM]

max number of read/write cycles has increased a lot since the initial days of flash memory. It is now at such a point that it is no longer a problem.

[Brian @ Jan 3rd 2007 6:35PM]

Out of curiosity, can SSD be partitioned so you eliminate the need for conventional RAM? And, does anyone know how retrieval times compare with regular spindle and platter HDs?

The thought of a Sony TX with SSD gives me the chills... Instant on, ridiculous battery life, and ~2.5 lbs... Can't help but dream...

[Crazylink @ Jan 4th 2007 8:27AM]

I think the bottleneck of harddrive connections make it to slow to have no need for RAM, But it would make on heck of a page file.