Flash memory just keeps getting bigger, faster and more irresistible -- and that's just the way we like it. Now, the Open NAND Flash Interface (ONFi) working group is announcing the availability of the 0.9 draft of the ONFi 2.0 specification to member companies, which is a tell-tale sign that the updated spec will be officially loosed in just two months. What's important here is the newly defined NAND interface, which promises to deliver up to 133MB/second compared to the 50MB/second that the legacy NAND interface is limited to. As if that weren't enough to get you all jazzed up, ONFi 2.0 will also be backwards compatible, and infrastructure is reportedly in place to "reach 400MB/second in the third-generation." And just think, soon you'll be chuckling at yourself for asserting that 133MB/sec was "quick" -- onwards and upwards, we say.

We all know that data transmission records don't hang around too long these days, but for operators of the Internet2 network, the final "official record" may have just been set. At the Internet2 consortium's spring meeting, it was announced that officials "sent data at 7.67-gigabits per second using standard communications protocols," but crushed even that milestone 24 hours later by achieving 9.08Gbps with IPv6 protocols. Notably, the data had to travel a whopping 20,000 or so miles roundtrip, and it's being suggested that the newest record may be there awhile, considering the theoretical 10Gbps limit on Internet2 transmissions and the requirement for new records to sustain "a ten-percent improvement for recognition." The best bit, however, is the mention of a "a new network with a capacity of 100Gbps," which could see a full-blown DVD shot practically around the globe "within in a few seconds."

While the majority of world speed records we cover involve things like transistors, data transmission, and even the occasional text messaging attempt, we're not ones to pass up a good old fashion land speed record, which France's Alstom Technologies thankfully provided today. After months of working up to it, the company finally sent its V150 passenger train screaming through the French countryside, ultimately topping out at a breakneck speed of 574.8 kilometers per hour, or about 357 mph, easily besting the previous rail speed record of 320 mph. While it'll no doubt only make you jealous of not being on board (or at least nearby), you can check out a video of the record-setting attempt at the link below.

[Thanks, Antoine G]

Data transmission records were just made to be shattered, as we've seen the benchmark go from 2.56- to 14- and now to 25.6-terabits per second within a year (and five days, but who's counting?). The momentary record holder this time around is Alcatel-Lucent, which "successfully transmitted a world record 25.6Tbps of optical data over a single fiber strand' using 160 WDM channels. In case you were wondering, that's enough speed to send about 600 DVDs worth of information to your buddy in one single second, after which you'd likely destroy any and all functionality his / her computer previously had before the bombardment. Now, what's it cost to run one or two of these pipes to Sealand?

Data speed records are falling left and right these days but there doesn't seem to be any signs of the madness letting up, with Reuters reporting today that Siemens AG has joined the party, smashing the previous record for transmission rates over a single fiber channel using "exclusively electrical means." They maxed out at a speed of 107 gigibits per second before running out of steam -- that's reportedly a full 2.5 times faster than the previous record for a single fiber channel. What's more, they did it outside of the laboratory, using an existing a 100 mile-long fiber optic route in the U.S. According to Siemens, this record is particularly significant as it will reduce the need to split signals into a number lower data-rate channels in order to avoid bottlenecks, ultimately resulting in networks that are both faster and cheaper for customers. It looks like we'll still have to wait a while before we can take advantage of the speedy new technology, however, with the first prototype products based on it still a few years away.

[Via Reuters/Yahoo News]

Tossing the all-too-common "world's fastest" label on your latest gig seems to happen entirely more frequently than necessary, but researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are make this claim legitimately. While we've seen those wee transistors ratchet up in speed, these gurus have shattered any previous records that may have been standing by crafting a transistor "with a frequency of 845GHz," which is "approximately 300GHz faster" that those built by "other research groups." While the terahertz barrier is arguably the "Holy Grail" of transistor speed, this leap forward doesn't leave them too far off from the ultimate goal. In addition to the pseudomorphic construction, the crew also used tinier components in order to "reduce the distance electrons have to travel, resulting in an increase of speed." Notably, the chip "only" runs at 765GHz while ticking along at room temperature, but chilling it to minus 55-degrees Celsius bumps it up to the record-holding 845GHz mark. Developers are quite pleased with the results, but as expected, aren't entirely satisfied, and seemingly can't wait to push the envelope a bit further and break their own record sometime soon.

Ok, so there's no wind in your hair or chance of an immediate fiery death, but a world speed record's a world speed record, and when it could also lead to better and cheaper cellphones and digital cameras, we're all ears. At least that's what could be coming down the pipe thanks to the speedy new transistors created by researchers at the University of Southampton. What's even better is that they've done it with just a simple modification to existing transistor technology, meaning it should be fairly easy to move it from the research stage to the production line. The speed gain was achieved by adding fluorine implants to the silicon layers of the transistor, making the transistor thinner and more effective, ultimately topping out at a speed of 110 GHz, leaving the previous record of 70 GHz in the nanoscopic dust.

[Via Slashdot]