Flash new standard tips up
16 Apr 2008 | 10:30 BST
Chipzilla, MS and Dell lay down the law
INTEL, Microsoft and Dell have signed off a new spec for the use of NAND flash in PC applications including hard-disk caching and solid-state drives.
The Intel-led NVMHCI (Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface) Working group includes more than 35 members and its new NVMHCI 1.0 spec outlines the hardware interface and command set.
"Several NAND solutions are coming on the scene to take advantage of the ReadyBoost and ReadyDrive features of Windows Vista," says Bob Rinne, general manager of Windows Hardware Ecosystem at Microsoft.
"Standardising on a common controller interface will enable more integrated operating system support of these solutions moving forward."
The spec describes an interface that uses only eight commands, allowing the memory controller to optimise for both performance and endurance, and is designed to enable caching of hard-drive contents into non-volatile memory by a single driver. µ
L'Inqs
NVMHCI
Full spec (PDF)
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