Yesterday, Intel and Micron announced a generational step forward in NAND Flash Write I/O performance. From the Intel Press release:
The new high speed NAND can reach speeds up to 200 megabytes per second (MB/s) for reading data and 100 MB/s for writing data, achieved by leveraging the new ONFI 2.0 specification and a four-plane architecture with higher clock speeds. In comparison, conventional single level cell NAND is limited to 40 MB/s for reading data and less than 20 MB/s for writing data.
They don’t actually say it’s an SLC device but they compare it to SLC and it has the typical wear characteristics of SLC (100,000 cycles). More data from the Micron web site:
Features
Benefits
Density
8Gb–16Gb
Industry-standard densities
Performance
200 MB/s Sustained READ100 MB/s Sustained WRITE1.5ms (TYP) Erase Performance
Delivers the fastest read and write throughputs ever for a NAND Flash device
Endurance (cycles)
100,000
High-endurance enables applications that require intensive program and erase operation while prolonging memory life
Interface
Async/SyncONFI 1.0/2.0
Standard interface enables a high degree of interoperability
Temperature Range
−25˚C to +85˚C
Wide temperature range is ideal for rugged environments
Configuration
1.8V, x8
Industry-standard configuration enables easy system design
Package
100-ball BGA
Industry-standard packaging enables easier density migration
Expect shipments in the latter half of 2008. We should start seeing interesting applications of this technology in SSDs and other devices this year.
Intel Press Release: http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20080201corp.htm
More data from Micron: http://www.micron.com/products/nand/high_speed/index
--jrh
James Hamilton, Windows Live Platform Services Bldg RedW-D/2072, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington, 98052 W:+1(425)703-9972 | C:+1(206)910-4692 | H:+1(206)201-1859 | JamesRH@microsoft.com
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