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Flash Memory to reach $1/Gig

Written by Chris Tangora

Sunday, 01 June 2008

One of the most handy every day pieces of technology is the flash drive, made with NAND technology. The MacBook Air was recently introduced with a flash drive option, and flash drives seem like a great option for modders due to their small foot print.

A lot of that is going to change with SSD (Solid State Drives) in the next few months. Currently it cost the NAND manufacturers about $2.5/GB or $10 for a 4GB flash memory chip . Intel and Micron (known as Crucial to you and me) have partnered up to make IM Flash Technologies, LLC . IM Flash is focused on making NAND memory and has plans to change everything. Intel/IM Flash was a late comer to the NAND market, but they have quickly caught up. IM Flash initially made their chips on the 72nm technology, but they have bypassed the in between stages and moved directly to 34nm chips.

While NAND might get cheaper for IM Flash, it won't help with the boutique feeling of flash memory until larger hard drives are available. Multilevel Cell (MLC) technology will help there. Essentially think of it as adding more chips connected to the same controller. 256GB Flash drives should be rolling out by the end of 2008 or early 2009. Expect to see a lot more SSD options popping up because of this. However, there are some major drawbacks of using MLC instead of Single Level Cells (SLC), namely the reliability and the heat. Download this PDF if you want to see more of the issues between MLC and SLC (MacBook Air is SLC).

The final problem with NAND memory is it's life cycle. While most people believe that because there are no moving parts, the drives will last longer. That isn't necessarily true. MLC required for higher densities also generate more heat and thus have a higher data loss. MLC chips also require more advanced data loss management, since there are far more addresses to manage and more data loss overall.

So when you start seeing the flash memory start dropping in price and the disk drives getting bigger and bigger, be cautious. It isn't the same as the flash memory on the market now.

From news.com via codehound

Comments (14)

	04-06-2008 23:34
	Meant to say 256GB. Let me fix that before another psycho jumps on my mis-typed word. Registered

ctan

	04-06-2008 23:34
	I'm more worried about the reduced life cycle of MLC flash. Getting a 356GB+ flash drive is great, but not if it last 10x less than SLC flash memory. Registered

ctan

	02-06-2008 01:52
	Could we please leave the nit picking of spelling and grammar to direct emails to the site moderators? I don\'t appreciate having to read though who misspelled what where and which pronouns are being abused just to see if anyone has said anything relating to the actual topic of the article. Aside, I was interested to read about the jump straight to 34nm. I\'ve never had much trust for flash memory anyhow. Registered

macDeviant

	01-06-2008 23:39
	Psystar is a good deal if you don't want to buy Mac hardware. It still allows you to run the Mac OS (for now) and is plenty fast. Go for it. I'm sticking with Apple hardware myself, but I'm old school. That and Apple machines provide me with all my income, so I stay true to what pays my bills. Registered

ctan

	01-06-2008 23:14
	I am getting sick of over prices macs, going to check out a Psystar soon, http://www.psystar.com/index.php?&option=com_content&view=article&id=63 $399 for a Clone. Wow! Guest

Love Guru

	01-06-2008 23:05
	No Flash for you! Guest

the Flash Nazi

	01-06-2008 22:31
	Seriously guys. Nazi references aren't cool. Registered

ctan

	01-06-2008 22:26
	Not quite. It should be "known as Crucial to you and me", not you and I. (Would you say "known as Crucial to I" ?) Guest

enlgish nazi II

	01-06-2008 21:52
	Is everyone happy now? Registered

ctan

	01-06-2008 20:39
	Also, it's "MacBook" and not MadBook! Guest

I am known as Unknown

	01-06-2008 20:24
	Just type it correctly. We don't need to see the mispelled word scratched off. Guest

Dud. Duduhh

	01-06-2008 17:45
	"Alot" is technically a non-standard word, not recognized by countless dictionary writers. However, it is widely used as a word in transcripts and hand written notes. In time it will be accepted as a word. For someone who talks about what is proper, your guest name shows otherwise. I'll keep my "alot" to "a lot" if you keep your guest name to a non-Hitler/Nazi reference. Registered

ctan

	01-06-2008 16:21
	"The initially making their chips on the 72nm technology, they have bypassed the in between stages and moved directly to 34nm chips" Guest

The english nazi # zwei

	01-06-2008 15:11
	A lot. Not alot. Guest

The english nazi

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