How a .07-second Power Cut Killed Memory Chips
Death to memory chips due to just a blink in the power.
Toshiba experienced a 0.07-second power outage at one of its NAND memory production plants. Normally a blip like that might even go unnoticed, but for Toshiba, it was a huge deal that essentially set back memory production for months.
The Japanese company estimates that the slight power blip could set back memory production by 20 percent through February. Given Toshiba's big position in the memory supply chain, this means that the single outage could cause a 7.5 percent drop in worldwide shipments, according to the Wall Street Journal.
While Toshiba normally has backup power to avoid incidents such as what happened, the voltage drop was too great for what the backup system was designed to handle. As a result, the entire line shut down.
The brief outage stalled the production of the silicon wafers from where the chips come, which ruined a process that may take eight to 12 weeks to complete. Furthermore, the air purifying and conditioning system that ensures a clean and dust-free environment for the chips was also temporarily disabled.
Although Toshiba isn't the memory maker in town, the supply drop could be enough to raise prices to the benefit of the entire industry, which major players include Samsung, Micron and Hynix.
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Read the story again chickenhoagie. Obviously you have little understanding.
Quick! Stock up on memory!... LOL
so does this mean a power blip at home could destroy our SSD's as well? Is this a manufacturing flaw or what? need details..
No, dude, it's a manufacturing process that got disrupted... so unless you do have in your basement a memory chip assembly line, you should be OK.
No silly a power outage to a SSD at home will not ruin the drive. The power outage was while they were in the proccess of making the chips.
@chickenhoagie - with hints like production line, silicon wafers, and clean air purifying and conditioning (hinting at a clean room), I am going to assume they are talking about manufacturing plants. A power blip at home of this small scale shouldn't affect your already-made SSD chips.
Does anyone else think it's ironic that it was a 0.07 second blip? Bond's getting new tricks up his sleeves!
In all seriousness though, that such a fraction of a second could cause such trouble, I have to wonder what they're depending on for power in the first place. I mean, they're not exactly just plugging everything into the wall, that would be ludicrous!
@the rest -
I'm impressed at how many people responded to the same question at the same time! Guess we poster's on Tom's really have no life (unless your in a Midwest situation like me and procrastinating on digging yourself out of after the snowstorm).
Butterfly effect.
This summer I bought a brand new Toshiba netbook, keyboard is hot as hell, screen is terrible, no red color, 3 months after, motherboard died..... at the moment I'm still waiting for toshiba service to fix it, almost 2 months without netbook, and they told me it'll be finished in January 2011 ???? I HATE TOSHIBA !
so does this mean a power blip at home could destroy our SSD's as well? Is this a manufacturing flaw or what? need details..
It's amazing how close we are to Mike Judge's "idiocracy" Dude reads the headline, and looks at the photo and decides to comment on the article based on assumption. We REALLY need to start thinning the herd.
The DRAMamurai strike again. Anyone else remember 06-08 when prices fluctuated like crazy because "Little tommy on the playground says he needs to find a new source of candy bars, so we're scared we might have to too, so our candy bars are now three times the price."
God forbid a person ask a question because he is unsure of the answer. If I read a medical journal I am sure there would be plenty of stupid questions for me to ask.
I don't think its unheard of for someone to wonder if a power spike or outage would ruin their electronics.
so does this mean a power blip at home could destroy our SSD's as well? Is this a manufacturing flaw or what? need details..
There you go, buddy. I know everyone else has already commented on your obliviousness, but I figure the more the merrier...
SSD price drop just got delayed...
thanks for all the replies guys, i now understand how big of an idiot i am.
*killing one's self due to trolling in 5..4..3..2..1..*
SSD price drop just got delayed...
Again
What no bang or loud explosion, nothing?
pfffhtttt!
What no bang or loud explosion, nothing?pfffhtttt!
i used a silencer. wait shit i cant reply to you im dead..
Quick! Stock up on memory!... LOL
No, dude, it's a manufacturing process that got disrupted... so unless you do have in your basement a memory chip assembly line, you should be OK.
??? The chip fab line goes in the attic. You put the fusion reactor in the basement
Well, that speaks volumes about importance of power system reliability, at least to semiconductor industry.
Good thing they aren't where I live in Northern Ontario. Power goes out at least 20-30 times in summer randomly, a few times in winter, and they have scheduled 6-8 hour power outages 3-4 times a year to "upgrade the power grid", which then randomly goes out again after it's "upgraded".
Unless the air handling systems shut themselves completely down in response to the blink, a 70 millisecond switch off shouldn't have any effect on the air quality. Remember everyone working in a cleanroom is usually wearing a full tyvek suit as well.
And I think you might wanna fact check "the voltage drop was too great". The greatest voltage drop you can have is going from on to off and that's what backup systems are designed to handle. I think you mean the current draw was too great or the system wasn't able to kick in fast enough.
I dont know as far as foreign manufacturing plants go, but the one i work in runs off tons and tons of 480v connections with 100amp adjustable breakers. each assembly line usually has a dedicated 480v circuit box. and there are probably atleast 100 seperate lines in just the one building i work at.
Good thing they aren't where I live in Northern Ontario. Power goes out at least 20-30 times in summer randomly, a few times in winter, and they have scheduled 6-8 hour power outages 3-4 times a year to "upgrade the power grid", which then randomly goes out again after it's "upgraded".
Thank God that they actually bother to maintain the Grid down in my state but then again it gets as hot as hell down here (Texas).
That's what happens when you don't plug your multi-billion dollar fabrication plant into a surge protector.
Well I wouldn't be surprised if prices begin to clime again over the next week to two weeks depending on the volume of sails this so called holiday season.
There's no way this story is true. If you unplug a blower for .07 seconds, simple inertia will keep it going. And as for everything else, every power supply in the world has capacitors that will discharge and supply voltage during such blips. If their equipment can't handle such short blips they should pack it up.
I say it's either stuxnet 2.0 or a conspiracy to fix prices.
^ lol
I find it kinda co-inka-dinkle that there was reports that said you will be able to pick up memory for a steal then this happens ? It may look like an accident .. but there is someone in the upstairs room cheering their a$$e$ off.
That's a nice excuse to prevent SSD prices from keep dropping. It's just silly to accept they don't have UPS.
As far as the air quality issue. 0.07 seconds would not do anything. The fans would keep running. sure they might lose a couple rpm, but it wouldnt matter.
As far as the wafers go tho. These are very specific processes with very tight tolerances. I can easily see a power spike fucking up a lot of steps. So im sure a lot of wafers were probably ruined. Making a wafer of chips is a many step process, and if it screwed up 20 different steps at once that are being done on a few hundred wafers each, thats a lot of lost wafers, a lot of lost chips.
Im sure not every wafer in the line was screwed, but a lot probably were.
toshiba couldnt afford to cover 0.07 sec of power outage!!?? ... really?! .... i really think ibemerson is right inertia could take over a 0.07 sec outage .... do we have an electrical or mechanical engineer in da house?!