Samsung to mass produce 16-Gbit NAND in 2006

LONDON — Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., has developed the world's highest density NAND flash memory — a 16-Gbit device made using a 50-nanometer manufacturing process technology — and that mass production is planned for the second half of 2006.

“Memory is opening a bold new world in consumer electronics,” said Chang-Gyu Hwang, Samsung Electronics' semiconductor business president and chief executive officer, in a statement. “With cards containing multiple 16-Gbit flash memory chips, you will be able to take your entire music and personal video libraries with you on one small portable device.”

The 16-Gbit density was achieved with the industry's first use of a 50-nm process for mass production using a so-called 3D-transistor architecture, Samsung claimed.

The advent of a 16-Gbit memory device should provide an alternative to miniature hard disk drives as consumer electronic manufacturers are now considering the introduction of NAND-based storage to bolster performance and power consumption levels in new gadgets.

By combining up to 16 such devices on a single card, manufacturers will be able to manufacture 32-Gbyte memory cards.