Samsung shrinks mobile memory chips

SAMSUNG has expanded its mobile memory range with the launch of a 30nm 64GB embedded memory module and a 32GB microSD card.

Both are based on Samsung's new 30nm class 32Gb NAND chips, succeeding the 40nm class 16Gb NAND.

The 32GB microSD card stacks eight of these new NAND modules and a card controller, making it the largest microSD card Samsung has to offer, bringing it up to speed with its competitors.

With double the capacity, the 64GB moviNAND uses 16 of the MLC NAND chips and a controller, with the total 17-die stack measuring 1.4mm tall.

With the growing use of mobile devices for media and other applications, market research firm iSuppli reckons that the global NAND flash memory market for 32GB and higher memory cards will hit over 530 million units in 2010 and reach 9.5billion units by 2013.

"The 64GB embedded memory moviNAND and the 32GB microSD card each greatly expand the data storage density of mobile devices, meeting customers' memory requirements and ushering in a new era of mobile and IT device capacity growth," said Dong-Soo Jun, executive vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Electronics.

The embedded 64GB moviNAND has been in mass production from December 2009, while the 32GB microSD is now being sampled with OEMs, with mass production expected next month. µ