Intel 25nm 8GB NAND Chips Reach Mass Production

Intel have begun mass production of their 25nm NAND flash memory, which began sampling earlier this year and will now begin shipping to manufacturers.  The memory – which can put 8GB of storage into a chip 167 square mm, capable of storing up to 2,000 songs or 8hrs of video – will be used in smartphones, PMPs and solid-state drives.

Of course, Intel will be layering the NAND chips so as to produce larger capacity drives that fit into smaller enclosures.  For instance, a 256GB SSD can now be produced using just 32 of the Intel chips, versus 64 previously.  No word on how pricing compares to existing memory, nor when we can expect to see the first production products arrive on the market, but given we all demand smaller devices with larger storage this can only be a good thing.

Press Release:

Intel announced today that Intel-Micron Flash Technologies are in mass production of their breakthrough 25-nanometer (nm) NAND flash memory and Intel is shipping in volume to customers. Announced in February, IMFT was the first to sample, and now to ship in production, 25nm NAND using the world's smallest, most advanced manufacturing process technology. The 8 gigabyte (GB) 25nm NAND flash memory chip measures just 167mm2 and can hold up to 2,000 songs, 7,000 photos or 8 hours of video. NAND Flash memory is used in USB memory keys and SD cards for data storage in digital camcorders and cameras, as well as in smart phones, personal music players and solid-state drives.