Samsung's high-density 16Gb NAND flash released: cheaper, faster SSDs on the way
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Jan 3rd 2007 10:09AM
posted Jan 3rd 2007 10:09AM
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.
These things need to be put into a true video iPod!!!
PSP2 anyone?
Finally.
This is hopefully the beginning on our path to rid ourselves of conventional hard drives.
I hate hardware with moving parts.
anyone know the exact size of these things? are the 16gb the same as the 32gb?
No, this isn't the same as 32 GB. This is 16 Gb. That is equal to 2 GB.
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.
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.
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.
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......
Looks like someone bent two pins on that chip..
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?
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.
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...
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.