TO ENHANCE PERFORMANCE
WIRELESS DEVICES
3 Volt Synchronous Intel StrataFlash Memory Reads
Data
Four Times Faster than Traditional Flash Memory
SANTA CLARA,
Calif, Sept. 26, 2001 -- Intel Corporation today introduced a
new flash
memory chip designed to enhance the performance of cell phones,
personal
digital assistants (PDAs) and other wireless devices. The 3 Volt
Synchronous
Intel StrataFlash® Memory is up to four times faster than
traditional flash
memory, making it the best value for executing code and
storing data in
handheld devices.
Manufactured on the cost-effective 0.18-micron process
technology,
the new chip represents the third generation of Intel's
multi-level cell
(MLC) technology that allows twice the amount of data to be
stored in a
single memory cell. Introduced by Intel in 1997, Intel
StrataFlash memory
offers a cost-effective, single-chip solution for code
execution and data
storage, and is the most widely used and proven MLC
product on the market.
"Intel StrataFlash has set a new benchmark in the
industry for
value, performance and reliability, and now we're raising the
bar on value
by introducing the highest-performing Intel StrataFlash memory
for wireless
applications," said Darin Billerbeck, vice president of Intel's
Flash
Products Group. "We've shipped more than 2 billion megabits of
Intel
StrataFlash memory since 1997, and we expect that number to
increase
significantly in the next year as more cell phones, PDAs and other
devices
use our technology."
The flash product is the newest addition to
Intel's growing wireless
product portfolio and complements the Intel®
Personal Internet Client
Architecture - a development blueprint for building
wireless handheld
communications devices that combine voice communications
and Internet access
capabilities.
High-Performance Burst and Page
Mode
The fast-read feature allows a software application to execute
code
directly out of flash, rather than downloading to a device's random
access
memory for execution, saving the costs of redundant system memory and
board
space. Synchronous Intel StrataFlash memory increases fast-read speeds
by
adding a 66-MHz burst mode. Burst mode increases memory throughput up to
92
MB/s, effectively four times faster than asynchronous reads on
standard
flash memory products. For devices not capable of synchronous burst
mode,
the new chip also features an eight-word page mode that reads data more
than
twice as fast as traditional asynchronous flash memory products.
Synchronous
Intel StrataFlash memory uses three volts for the core device,
and is
available in either 3- or 1.8-volt I/O versions.
Synchronous Intel
StrataFlash can be used in conjunction with Intel
flash memory software to
improve both the performance and time to market of
a device. Intel®
Persistent Storage Manager simplifies design for handheld
devices running the
Windows* CE operating system by combining code, file and
data storage in a
single flash chip, while Intel® Flash Data Integrator
provides similar
storage capabilities in cell phones.
The 3 Volt Synchronous Intel StrataFlash
Memory is available in
densities from 64 Mbit to 256 Mbit. The 128 Mbit
memory is sampling now,
with production for all densities starting in April
2002. In 10,000-unit
quantities, prices range from $10 for 64 Mbit chips to
$35 for 256 Mbit
chips.
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a
leading
manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products.
Additional
information about Intel is available at
href="http://www.intel.com/pressroom">www.intel.com/pressroom.
Intel
and StrataFlash are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its
subsidiaries in
the United States and other countries.
