SanDisk and Toshiba Make World's Smallest NAND

News
By Marcus Yam
published

Ready for tiny SSDs?

SanDisk and Toshiba have teamed up together to make a 64 Gb, 2-bits-per-cell (X2) based monolithic chip made on 19nm technology, which the companies claim is the smallest and most advanced memory process technology node in the world.

SanDisk will sample its 19nm 64 Gb X2 device this quarter and expects to begin high-volume production in the second half of 2011. At that time, SanDisk will also add 3-bits-per-cell (X3) products fabricated with the 19nm process technology to its product lineup.

"We are excited to introduce the world's smallest and lowest-cost NAND flash chips based on industry-leading 19nm process technology in our ongoing collaboration with our manufacturing partner Toshiba," said Yoram Cedar, executive vice president and chief technology officer, SanDisk. "Products based on this technology are designed to enable new applications, form factors and consumer experience that will continue to drive the flash industry to new heights."

This announcement come days after Intel and Micron announced its 20nm process.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
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16 Comments Comment from the forums
  • virtualban
    If they increase durability along the way, then I will call it progress.
    Reply
  • stingstang
    How are we sure that they are really making it 19nm? We can't exactly just measure the size of the transistors ourselves. For all we know, it's 21nm, but they want to claim that they're better.
    Reply
  • warmon6
    stingstangHow are we sure that they are really making it 19nm? We can't exactly just measure the size of the transistors ourselves. For all we know, it's 21nm, but they want to claim that they're better.
    ???

    Better question is, why are worried if there making 19nm transistors or not?

    It not like "we've always had the ability to measure the transistors size until last year" type of things. For a very very very long time we always had to trust the mouth of the manufacture of the specs when it comes to the transistor sizes. Thats like asking same thing for intel and amd cpu's. How do we surely know that the core i7 2600k has 32nm transistors or amd Phenom ii's have 45nm in it?

    Well unless you have an electron microscope, you cant.
    Reply
  • CyberAngel
    Guess if the rivals examine each others chips the best they can to see if they can improve their own chips...
    Don't worry - if the numbers wre really off someone would bark loudly...
    Reply
  • burnley14
    2nm makes very little difference to me in the scheme of things. What we WILL be able to measure is storage capacity and physical size, which is really what this is all about. Give me lots of storage in a tiny space :D
    Reply
  • rohitbaran
    stingstangHow are we sure that they are really making it 19nm? We can't exactly just measure the size of the transistors ourselves. For all we know, it's 21nm, but they want to claim that they're better.The same way you make sure how Intel's processors are based on 32nm tech. or AMD's graphics cards are based on 40nm tech.
    Reply
  • memadmax
    You guys that question about NM truthfulness should realize that there are people out there with micron-scopes that will be willing to scrape off the top of the chip to get in there and see what's going on. And it's usually the "competition" that is doing it.

    Any anomalies will reach front page news fairly quickly as there will be lots of angry share holders, CEO's, and FBI guys creeping around the bushes.
    Reply
  • dark_lord69
    YAY!!
    This means higher capacity and lower priced SSD drives will be coming soon!
    I think this new chip technology combined with the new sandforce controller would make for some cheap yet fast SSD drives!
    Can't wait! Especially since I plan on buying a slightly used, slightly older laptop soon.
    Reply
  • phate
    Don't care if it's 19 or 20nm, I want the one with the better write durability.
    Reply
  • chickenhoagie
    stingstangHow are we sure that they are really making it 19nm? We can't exactly just measure the size of the transistors ourselves. For all we know, it's 21nm, but they want to claim that they're better.yes as someone already said, there are plenty of people willing to find out for a fact what the transistor size is, and if its not what the companies advertise then they are certainly in a world of crap. Major false advertising.
    Reply