Samsung is now producing 256-Gigabit flash memory, which should lead to an easy doubling up of flash drive capacity.
The South Korean electronics giant has announced that it is now producing “256-gigabit (Gb), three-dimensional (3D) Vertical NAND (V-NAND) flash memory based on 48 layers of 3-bit multi-level-cell (MLC) arrays for use in solid state drives (SSDs).”
This represents a doubling up in density of conventional 128Gb NAND flash chips.
In practical terms, the new chip will “easily double the capacity of Samsung’s existing SSD line-ups,” according to Samsung. This should result in multi-terabyte flash drives well in excess of Samsung’s current 2TB model.
In addition, the new chip is 30 percent more power efficient than previous models. Samsung has also managed to attain 40 percent more productivity with its new chip, which means that ramping up the memory capacity shouldn’t necessarily ramp up the cost at the checkout by an equivalent amount.
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This breakthrough should also have a positive knock-on effect in the smartphone market. The ability to cram more memory into a small space without dramatically ramping up costs can only be a good thing for the capacity options in future phones.
Samsung says that it will continue producing these new 256-Gigabit flash memory components throughout the remainder of 2015.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.