Denali Memory Report:
The Denali Memory Report is produced by Cadence Design Systems, Inc. It delivers memory market news, discussions of market trends, products and product strategies of the memory vendors, plus information about alliances and industry consortia.
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Recent Posts
- Some great analysis on SSD wear leveling and power consumption
- The Economist covers PCM – must be something real
- Add OCZ to the growing list of SSD vendors differentiating their drives with a proprietary controller
- IDT announces DDR4 register chip for DDR4 registered DIMMs and 3D die stacks
- Western Digital sampling 5mm, 2.5-inch, 500Gbyte hybrid HDD with NAND Flash
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Author Archives: sleibson2
Micron announces volume production of PCM/DRAM multichip packaged memory
Totally not expecting this. Today Micron announced high-volume availability of a multichip, packaged memory device that incorporates a 1Gbit PCM (Phase-Change Memory) and a 512Mbit LPDDR2 SDRAM. The PCM die is built with 45nm process technology. The multichip-packaged memory is … Continue reading
StorageSearch.com names top 25 SSD companies. Guess who?
StorageSearch.com has been following SSDs for a long, long time so they’ve got as much right to name their top picks as anyone. Here’s the 2Q 2012 version with a few you might not have heard about, yet: Fusion-io Violin … Continue reading
Posted in Flash, NAND, SSD
2 Comments
Korg introduces SSD-based music workstation, the Korg Kronos X, with 62Gbyte drive and option for a second SSD
File this under places you might not expect to find SSDs: Korg USA has announced the Kronos X Music Workstation, a music keyboard and workstation with a 62Gbyte SSD for storing sound samples in sound libraries. That’s a lot of … Continue reading
Posted in Flash, NAND, SSD
Tagged Flash memory, Flash memory controller, Korg, Music, Solid-state drive, Workstation
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Three Golliaths and a host of Davids meeting up on the storage battlefield. Who wins?
If you want to read a short, interesting overview of the combined HDD/SSD storage battlefield, look no further than a new article on The Register’s Web site. The article, titled “Will the titans of storage decide to flash their bits?” … Continue reading
Posted in Flash, HDD, Micron, Samsung, SSD
Tagged Flash, Hard disk drive, Hynix, OCZ Technology, Samsung, Solid-state drive, Toshiba, Western Digital
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Wired Magazine: HP Memristors Will Reinvent Computer Memory “by 2014”
Caleb Garling at Wired.com just posted an article predicting that memristors will remake the semiconductor memory landscape by 2014, based on the comments made Research Fellow Stan Williams at a recent roundtable discussion on nanotechnology sponsored by the Kavli Foundation. … Continue reading
Posted in Hynix, Memristor
Tagged HP, Hynix, Kavli Foundation, memristor, Stan Williams
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Want another opinion about the Hybrid Memory Cube? Michael Feldman of HPCwire.com weighs in
Michael Feldman over at HPCwire.com has just published his own analysis of the Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC), which I’ve covered extensively in the EDA360 Insider and the Denali Memory Report (see below). Feldman reiterates many of the same points I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in DDR, DRAM, HMC, Hybrid Memory Cube, Micron
Tagged DRAM, Dynamic random-access memory, Flash memory, HMC, Michael Feldman, Micron
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Jim Handy, The Memory Guy, answers your questions about Flash memory
Two weeks ago, Jim Handy (who bills himself and appears on the Internet as “The Memory Guy”) posted a blog discussion about the end of Flash memory scaling. He also posted a notice of the blog as a discussion on … Continue reading
Posted in 3D, Flash, Memcon, ONFI
Tagged Charge Trap Flash, Flash, Flash memory, Jim Handy, LinkedIn, Memory Guy, Open NAND Flash Interface Working Group, Solid-state drive
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MOSAID and NOVACHIPS announce plans for an HLNAND-based SSD controller chip. Release set for 2013.
A couple of weeks ago, MOSAID and NOVACHIPS announced plans to jointly develop an SSD controller based on the MOSAID high-speed HLNAND interface specification. If you’re not familiar with the MOSAID HLNAND high-speed serial interface, join the club. Most NAND … Continue reading
Posted in 3D, Flash, Hybrid Memory Cube, NAND
Tagged Flash memory, Flash memory controller, HyperLink, MOSAID, NAND Flash, NOVACHIPS, PCI Express, Solid-state drive, SSD
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Samsung starts to sample 16Gbyte DDR4 LRDIMMs using 30nm-class DDR4 memory chips
Today, Samsung announced that it has started to sample 16Gbyte DDR4 SDRAM RDIMMs (registered DIMMs) based on its 30nm-class DDR4 SDRAM chips. Last month, the company announced sampling of 8 and 16Gbyte DDR4 modules and a 2Gbyte DDR4 module was … Continue reading
Applied Materials develops Centura Avatar etcher for enabling 3D NAND Flash manufacture
About a year ago, I wrote an EDA360 Insider blog entry about 3D NAND Flash semiconductor memory. (See “3D Thursday: A look at some genuine 3D NAND cells, courtesy of Micron”) In this post, I discussed a talk by Glen … Continue reading
Jim Handy, The Memory Guy, writes that Flash memory is dead…but perhaps not just yet
My good friend Jim Handy—who writes several blogs including The Memory Guy and The SSD Guy—recently published a blog titled “The End of Flash Scaling.” He writes: “Everyone knows that flash memory is about to hit its scaling limit – … Continue reading
Posted in 3D, Flash, Memristor, MRAM, ReRAM, SSD
Tagged Flash, Flash memory, Flash memory controller, Hynix, NAND Flash, SSD
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Third Samsung memory video, well I’ll let you decide just how amusing this one is…
For the last two days, I’ve posted blog entries about two amusing Samsung memory videos aimed at memory consumers with fanciful supervillians named Fiona Freeze and Battery Brutus who caused havoc by inducing memory freezes and excessive battery drain. Samsung … Continue reading
Posted in Samsung
Tagged Battery Brutus, Fiona Freeze, Loading Ball Larry, Samsung, Supervillain
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ARM, HP, and SK hynix join Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium (HMCC). First spec due by end of year
Add ARM, HP, and SK hynix to the growing list of companies in the Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium (HMCC). The three new members join the original founding companies, Micron and Samsung, along with Altera, IBM, Microsoft, Open-Silicon, and Xilinx plus … Continue reading
Second Samsung memory video just as amusing as the first
Yesterday, I posted a blog entry about an amusing Samsung memory video aimed at memory consumers with a fanciful supervillian named Fiona Freeze who was responsible for causing device freezups. Today, I present the Samsung Memory Battery Brutus video. Battery … Continue reading
Samsung memory video “movie trailer” plays it cool
There are few things as geeky as deep-tech memory discussions so it’s a joy when you find something that raises the bar. Samsung did that last month with this video:
Whoa, Momma! Flash memory maker SK Hynix enters the SSD market. Take a look at these performance charts!
Jim Handy, the “SSD Guy” and the “Memory Guy,” just published a short blog post alerting us to the fact that Flash memory maker SK Hynix has entered the SSD market just four days after announcing the purchase of Link_A_Media, … Continue reading
Posted in Flash, mSATA, ONFI, SATA, SSD, Storage
Tagged Flash, Flash memory, Hynix, IBM, Phase-change memory, SK Hynix
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Registration opens for the Flash Memory Summit 2012. Read on for program highlights
The Flash Memory Summit takes place on August 21-23 here in Silicon Valley at the Santa Clara Convention Center and it’s now opened its registration. However, before you register, you might want to know what’s being covered. A reasonable request … Continue reading
SSD prices: More affordable? Steady, substantial decline? In free fall? Just what is going on here?
Senior Writer Vincent Chang over at CNET writes that “SSDs are more affordable than ever” and has the charted data to prove it. Clayton Vallabhan at ITPnet.com goes even further, writing “SSD prices in freefall.” For an even more extensive … Continue reading
Samsung’s 20nm-class DDR3 SDRAM runs on 1.35V, saves 2/3 of the power used by 50nm-class, 1.5V SDRAM
Not all DDR3 SDRAM is created equal. That’s the message Samsung is spreading lately by talking about its 20nm-class DDR3 SDRAM. The company is using 1.5V, 50nm-class DDR3 SDRAM as a benchmark and says that a server loaded with 96Mbytes … Continue reading
Briefly noted: Greenliant adds 8, 16, and 32Gbyte e.MMC SSDs
Yesterday, Greenliant announced that it was adding SSDs to its NANDrive product line in the e.MMC form factor. These new drives are available in 8, 16, and 32Gbyte capacities and complement the SATA and PATA drives already in the NANDrive … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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SK Hynix to acquire SSD controller vendor Link_A_Media for $248 million. That makes four.
Memory Industry Analyst Jim Handy took the unusual step of sending out an alert yesterday. The topic of the alert was the announced acquisition of Link_A_Media Devices (LAMD) by SK Hynix for a reported US $248 million. LAMD is a … Continue reading
Briefly Noted: JEDEC publishes “A” rev of UFS HCI standard
JEDEC announced today that it has just published an “A” revision of the spec (JESD223A) for the Universal Flash Storage Host Controller Interface (UFS HCI), a companion to the JESD220 standard for UFS, a Flash storage specification for a range … Continue reading
Posted in JEDEC, UFS
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Will cache SSDs rule the world in notebook storage? IHS iSuppli’s Magic 8 Ball says “Signs point to Yes”
An excellent article by Hot Hardware’s Joel Hruska (see “Analysts Predict Skyrocketing SSD, Cache Drive Sales, But What Happened To Hybrid Hard Drives?”) contains several tasty bits of data and a quote from Ryan Chien, analyst for memory and storage … Continue reading
Posted in Flash, HDD, SSD, Storage
Tagged cache SSD, Flash memory, HDD, Hybrid drive, IHS iSuppli, Seagate, SSD
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Violin Memory’s Narayan Venkat writes about why Flash-based storage is doing well in data centers: time and money
Narayan Venkat, VP of product management at Violin Memory, recently published a guest blog post titled “6 Reasons Solid State Memory Is The Biggest Story In Computing” over at Forbes.com. The rhetoric in the article should be familiar stuff to … Continue reading
SK Hynix places bet on third wannabe non-volatile memory technology, phase-change memory, with IBM
When I was really young, I used to play a card game called “Pit” where you tried to corner the market on a particular commodity like oranges, sugar, soybeans, or corn. The game was based on the trading pits of … Continue reading
Posted in Hynix, Memristor, MRAM, NAND, PCM
Tagged Flash memory, Hynix, IBM, memristor, Micron, MRAM, Non-volatile memory, Phase-change memory, Samsung, SK Hynix, Toshiba
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Want a quick and dirty overview of the new JEDEC LPDDR3 spec? EETimes serves it up
Kristin Lewotsky has just published an LPDDR3 SDRAM interview with Huong Vuong, Chairman of the JEDEC JC-42.6 Subcommittee for Low Power Memories. Here are the salient points from the interview, in my opinion: The purpose of LPDDR3 is to increase … Continue reading
Yes Virginia, there was a Denali Party at DAC. “Nobody” came
Yes, there was a Denali Party at DAC 2012, sponsored by Cadence. It was held at the Ruby Skye nightclub, the same place it was held last time DAC rolled into San Francisco. “Nobody” came to the party, like the … Continue reading
Flash Memory Summit 2012, Santa Clara, CA. Registration now open
Every year, the Flash Memory Summit rolls into Silicon Valley to discuss the latest in Flash memory, SSDs, and possibly up-and-coming alternative non-volatile memory technologies. This year, the event takes place on August 21-23 at the Santa Clara Convention Center … Continue reading
Corsair does the Neutron dance with new line of fast SSDs based on Toggle NAND Flash
PC hardware maker Corsair has introduced a new line of 2.5-inch, 7mm SSDs called the Neutron GTX series. I find it very interesting that the first fact put forth in the Corsair press release for this new series is about … Continue reading
So just how big is the semiconductor memory market? $50 billion? $60 billion?
Yesterday, Jeremy Wagstaff, Chief Technology Correspondent for Reuters in Asia, published an article on wannabe non-volatile memory technologies such as MRAM and Memristors or ReRAM (See “Pushing the PRAM: when chips just can’t get any smaller”). The lure is a … Continue reading
Denali Memory Report gets a plug in Reuters story
Jeremy Wagstaff has just published an article on the rapidly evolving memory scene though Reuters. The article is titled “Pushing the PRAM: when chips just can’t get any smaller” and it does a good job of painting the current landscape. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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3D Thursday: Advantest 3D tester produces known good die and known good stacks
3D can’t move forward until the testability issues are solved. Hear that one? Well, Advantest has just advanced another click in that ratchet with this week’s introduction of a concept model test cell for TSV-based 2.5D and 3D products. It’s … Continue reading
Will SSDs be the first big market for 3D NAND Flash memories?
I’ve been meaning to write about a comment regarding NAND Flash memory and SSDs written by Thomas McCormick in LinkedIn’s Solid State Storage Group and this seems like the perfect time. McCormick is an Integrated Hardware/Software Product Development Leader at … Continue reading
Posted in 3D, DDR, DRAM, Flash, Memristor, MRAM, NAND, SSD, Storage
Tagged DRAM, Flash, Flash memory, memristor, MRAM, NAND Flash, Solid-state drive, SSD
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Toshiba launches family of thin 2.5-inch and mSATA SSDs based on 19nm Toggle NAND Flash
Toshiba has just launched a new SSD family called the THNSNF series based on the company’s 19nm Toggle NAND Flash multi-level cell (MLC) devices. The SSDs are offered in capacities from 64 to 512Gbytes. All members of the family employ … Continue reading
DRAMeXchange tests this year’s crop of 120Gbyte SSDs. Guess which one wins…
Yesterday, DRAMeXchange published some performance tests on five 120Gbyte SSDs. The results may surprise you. Click here: DRAMeXchange’s 2012 SSD Ranking – 120 GB SSD (SATA 2)
MRAM spotted in Buffalo Memory SSD—for cache
Several sources including TomsHardware.com have reported the appearance at the 15th Embedded Systems Expo in Japan of an SSD built by Buffalo Memory Company with MRAM for cache memory. The drive uses 8Mbytes of MRAM (magnetic RAM) as a cache … Continue reading
Posted in Flash, MRAM, SSD
Tagged Flash, Flash memory, Magnetoresistive random access memory, MRAM
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This SSD will self destruct…immediately. On Command (See the video)
In case you need an SSD that can be wiped quickly, RunCore has introduced the InVincible SSD with two modes of erasure: non-destructive and destructive. Two buttons—one red, one green—activate the erasure. The two buttons apparently connect to the SSD’s … Continue reading
DFI 3.1 spec adds DDR4 and LPDDR3 coverage for speed and low-power benefits
Earlier this month, JEDEC published the LPDDR3 specification for the next generation of low-power SDRAM that will be used in mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, ultra-thin notebooks and similar connected devices on the newest, high-speed 4G networks. The LPDDR3 … Continue reading
Invensas to detail POP interconnect to rival Wide I/O with as many as 1200 interconnections between IC packages
Later this week, Invensas will detail its new BVA (bond via array) package-on-package (POP) interconnect that can achieve 1200 electrical connections between chip packages without the use of 3D die assembly. Information on the technology will be contained in a … Continue reading
Posted in 3D, Wide I/O
Tagged 3D, Package on package, Surface-mount technology, Wide I/O
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The Denali Memory Report is on vacation and will return on May 26, 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
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Semiconductor memory plays a large role in smartphone design says Matti Floman of Nokia
“There’s no real difference between PCs and mobile phones today,” said Matti Floman from Nokia who gave the first keynote speech at last week’s JEDEC Mobile Forum. There is no difference in the types of applications run; there’s no difference … Continue reading
NVM Express (NVMe) controller subsystem points the way to an SSD future
Cadence introduced an NVM Express (NVMe) controller subsystem this week. The Denali Memory Report and the EDA360 Insider have covered NVMe developments several times already (see below for the links) and it’s clear that one way to maximize SSD performance … Continue reading
It’s Official: Microsoft joins 3D Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium with Micron, Samsung, Altera, IBM, Open-Silicon, and Xilinx
Last week, the Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium announced that Microsoft had joined Micron, Samsung, Altera, IBM, Open-Silicon, and Xilinx in the development of high-performance 3D SDRAM subsystems based on the Hybrid Memory Cube. For more information on the Hybrid Memory … Continue reading
Posted in 3D, DRAM, HMC, Hybrid Memory Cube
Tagged Altera, Hybrid Memory Cube, IBM, Micron, Microsoft, Open-Silicon, Samsung, Xilinx
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SSD Review: Intel 910 PCIe SSD a “game changer”
It’s always great fun to see a company hit one out of the ballpark with a new product and that’s exactly what Intel has done with its new 910 PCIe SSD, if you believe this recent article by Paul Alcorn … Continue reading
Posted in NVM Express, PCIe, SSD, Storage
Tagged Intel, NVMe, PCI Express, PCIe, SAS, Solid-state drive, SSD
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Micron samples DDR4 module at 2400Mtransfers/sec. Production pegged in 2013
Micron has begun sampling a DDR4 SDRAM module, which the company has said will lead the way to DDR4 availability in production equipment starting in 2013. The memory chips on the Micron DDR4 module are 30nm, 4Gbit, x8 parts operating … Continue reading
Posted in DDR4, DRAM, JEDEC, SDRAM
Tagged DDR4 SDRAM, JEDEC, Micron, Micron Technology, Nanya, SDRAM, SO-DIMM
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Second Speedy SAS SSD Shows at STA (SCSI Trade Association). Tomorrow
Seagate has become the second company to announce that it will be showing its Pulsar.2 12Gbps SATA SSD at tomorrow’s SCSI Trade Association meeting in Santa Clara, California. The first was Western Digital. (See “WD’s HGST to demo 12Gbps SAS … Continue reading
Posted in SAS, SATA, SSD, Storage
Tagged PMC-Sierra, SAS, SCSI, Seagate, SerDes, Western Digital
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1Tbyte KingMax SSDs spotted on shelves in Japan. ¥119800 ($1500)
Tweaktown is reporting the appearance of 1Tbyte, 2.5-inch KingMax SSDs on retail shelves in Japan with a price of ¥119800 (about $1500). There’s a photo too, in case you don’t believe the words alone. Tweaktown cites the original information source … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Simple three-bar graph explains all the engineering economics of 3D memory you need to know
The January IEEE Spectrum contained an article titled “3-D Chips Grow Up.” The article reproduced a simple Samsung bar graph about the very real advantages of 3D memory interconnect. That graph tells you all you need to know about why … Continue reading
Tiny RunCore single-chip SSDs cram 8 to 64Gbytes onto small SATA cards that fit anywhere
RunCore has announced a line of small single-chip SSDs in a format that the company calls “Mini DOM” (miniature disk on module). The high-speed SATA SSDs are available with capacities from 8 to 64Gbytes in three form factors: a 7-pin … Continue reading
Posted in Flash, NAND, SATA, SSD, Storage
Tagged Flash memory, Mini DOM, NAND Flash, RunCore, SATA, Solid-state drive
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WD’s HGST to demo 12Gbps SAS SSD at SCSI Trade Association Technology Showcase next week in California
HGST, the Western Digital subsidiary formerly known as Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, has announced a new 12Gbps SAS SSD and will be demonstrating it at the SCSI Trade Association Technology Showcase next week on May 9 at the Hyatt Hotel … Continue reading
Posted in SAS, SSD, Storage
Tagged Cadence, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, NVM Express, PMC-Sierra, SAS, SCSI, Serial attached SCSI, Solid-state drive, SSD, Western Digital
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