News broke earlier this week that Apple has acquired Israel-based fabless flash memory firm Anobit for as much as $400 million according to TheMarker, adding another leading chip maker to the company’s portfolio. Anobit’s NAND flash memory is already used in Apple products including the iPhone and iPad, and the firm’s technology is said to offer several advantages over that of its rivals. As DigiTimes pointed out in a recent report, the move also means Anobit’s other clients are now forced to look elsewhere as Apple becomes the exclusive owner of Anobit’s chip technology. Major players including Hynix and Micron were Anobit partners in the past, taking advantage of the company’s proprietary technology that improves the performance and lifespan of its flash memory products. Hynix, Micron and others are now reportedly looking to Taiwan-based companies including Phison Electronics and Silicon Motion Technology following the acquisition. Direct gains from Apple’s Anobit buy include the company’s technology and talent, but another advantage over rivals now emerges as a clear secondary benefit — smartphone vendors that used NAND flash memory chips made by soon-to-be former Anobit clients will no longer be able to utilize Anobit’s class-leading technology.

Read

As Apple and Samsung continue to battle over patents and product design, Samsung seems to be positioned to take the biggest hit. The South Korea-based electronics giant has already seen sales of its tablet blocked in multiple regions and Apple is digging deeper. Dow Jones reported back in February that Apple was expected to make roughly $7.8 billion in component purchases from Samsung in 2011, but the future of the relationship is now in jeopardy. Reports from this past June that Apple moved away from Samsung for its mobile processors were seemingly confirmed last month, and DigiTimes on Thursday reported that Apple is looking beyond Samsung for its mobile memory chips as well. Read on for more.

DigiTimes reports that Apple has secured two new suppliers for its DRAM and NAND flash chips. Japan-based Toshiba and Elpida Memory have received increased orders for memory chips destined for Apple’s mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad, the site reported, citing multiple unnamed industry sources. Toshiba will supply Apple with NAND flash chips while Elpida will supply mobile RAM. Is is unclear if Samsung, the world’s leading supplier of both NAND flash memory and DRAM chips, will retain any of Apple’s mobile memory business or if the iPhone maker will move all orders to Toshiba and Elpida.

Apple could cut Samsung from its list of part suppliers, an arrangement that is worth as much as $5 billion for Samsung, one analyst has suggested. “They have become more competitors and less partners and so I think Apple will definitely not be looking to Samsung as its go-to partner-of-choice for NAND flash,” Brian Marshall, a Gleacher & Co. analyst told The Globe and Mail. Apple could instead choose to get its NAND flash products from other companies, such as Hynix Semiconductor, Micron, and Toshiba. Similarly, if Apple were to bail on Samsung as a parts provider, the iPhone maker could look to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC) or Intel for processors, but it would also need to find another provider for LCDs. Samsung and Apple have been locked in multiple legal battles since Apple accused Samsung of creating “copycat” devices and sought to block the import of its products in the United States.

Read

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the new AppleTV, back on September 1, there was no mention of the internal storage capabilities of the device. Mr. Jobs did mention, several times actually, that the device’s focus was on streaming content, not storing it. Today, thanks to a take-apart by iFixit, we know that while content storage may not be the AppleTV’s focus, it still has the ability. In dismantling the small, black box, iFixit found a Samsung 8 GB NAND Flash storage chip hiding inside; the same chip featured in the iPad. Obviously, the device needs storage for its operating system and room to buffer content, but 8 GB seems like an awful lot. Perhaps an indication of an AppleTV application store, or new OS down the road? Who knows. The only reason that it is out-of-place is due to the fact that Apple neglected to mention it.

Read

Toshiba has announced the birth of their 128 GB NAND flash memory module. The new flash storage chip “integrates sixteen 64Gbit NAND chips” onto a minuscule 17 x 22 x 1.4mm chip. Toshiba writes: “Demand continues to grow for large density chips that support high-resolution video and deliver enhanced storage, particularly in the area of embedded memories with a controller function that minimize development requirements and ease integration into system designs.” Let’s hope we see these new 128 GB beasts in slates and smartphones in the very near future. We’ve got the full press release for you after the bump.

[Via Slash Gear]

TOSHIBA LAUNCHES INDUSTRY’S LARGEST EMBEDDED NAND FLASH MEMORY MODULES

eMMC™ Compliant Embedded Memories Combine up to 128GB NAND and a Controller in a Single Package

IRVINE, Calif., June 16, 2010— Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc ., and its parent company Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) today announced the launch of a 128-gigabyte (GB)1 embedded NAND flash memory module, the highest capacity yet achieved in the industry. The module is fully compliant with the latest e-MMC™ standard, and is designed for application in a wide range of digital consumer products, including smartphones, tablet PCs and digital video cameras. Samples will be available in September, and mass production will start in the fourth quarter (October to December) of 2010.

The new 128GB embedded device integrates sixteen 64Gbit (equal to 8GB) NAND chips fabricated with Toshiba’s cutting-edge 32nm process technology and a dedicated controller into a small package 17 x 22 x 1.4mm. Toshiba is the first company to succeed in combining sixteen 64Gbit NAND chips, and applied advanced chip thinning and layering technologies to realize individual chips that are only 30 micrometers thick.

Toshiba offers a comprehensive line-up of single-package embedded NAND Flash memories in densities from 2GB to 128GB. They integrate a controller to manage basic control functions for NAND applications, and are compatible with the JEDEC e-MMC™ Version 4.4 and its new features. New samples of 64GB chips will also be available from August.

Demand continues to grow for large density chips that support high-resolution video and deliver enhanced storage, particularly in the area of embedded memories with a controller function that minimize development requirements and ease integration into system designs. Toshiba has established itself as an innovator in this key area, and is now reinforcing its leadership by being first to announce a 128GB generation module.

Key Features: The JEDEC e-MMC™ V4.4 compliant interface handles essential functions, including writing block management, error correction and driver software. It simplifies system development, allowing manufacturers to minimize development costs and speed time to market for new and upgraded products. The 128GB device stacks sixteen 64Gbit chips fabricated with leading-edge 32nm process technology. Application of advanced chip thinning, layering and wire bonding technologies has allowed Toshiba to achieve individual chips only 30 micrometers thick, and to layer and bond them in a small package. The result is an embedded flash memory module with the industry’s highest density.

The new products are sealed in a small FBGA package only 17 x 22 x 1.4mm and has a signal layout compliant with the JEDEC eMMC™ V4.4.

Specifications e-MMC™ Interface JEDEC e-MMC™ V4.4 standard HS-MMC interface

Power Supply Voltage 2.7V to 3.6V (memory core); 1.65V to 1.95V / 2.7V to 3.6V (interface)

Bus width x1, x4, x8

Write Speed* 21MB per sec. (Sequential/Interleave Mode) 21MB per sec.6 (Sequential/No Interleave Mode)*

Read Speed* 46MB per sec. (Sequential Mode/Interleave Mode) 55MB per sec. (Sequential/No Interleave Mode)*

Temperature range -25degrees to +85degees Celsius

Package 153Ball FBGA (+84 support balls)

Samsung has pushed the limits of microSD technology, doubling the available flash memory from 16GB to 32GB. The new cards use 30-nm class 32GB NAND flash memory in a casing that is 1mm thick and a mere 0.7mm high. Currently in the hands of OEMs for sampling, Samsung will start to mass produce the 32GB card starting next month. No word on pricing but like most memory products, it will presumably start high and fall quickly. Full press release after the break.

Samsung Announces 30nm-class, High-density NAND Flash for Mobile Devices

SEOUL, South Korea–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, today announced two high-density memory solutions for mobile devices. The new storage solutions – a 64-gigabyte (GB) moviNAND memory device and a 32GB micro secure digital (microSD) memory card – satisfy mobile handset designers’ requirements for advanced compact high-density memory.

“The 64GB embedded memory, moviNAND, and the 32GB microSD card each greatly expand the data storage density of mobile devices, meeting customers’ memory requirements and ushering in a new era of mobile and IT device capacity growth.”

“Samsung’s high-density memory solutions bring the storage capacity levels of computing systems to small, mobile devices,” said Dong-Soo Jun, executive vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Electronics.

He added, “The 64GB embedded memory, moviNAND, and the 32GB microSD card each greatly expand the data storage density of mobile devices, meeting customers’ memory requirements and ushering in a new era of mobile and IT device capacity growth.”

The memory solutions are based on Samsung’s advanced 32 gigabit (Gb) NAND flash. The 64GB moviNAND, which measures 1.4mm in height, consists of 16 30nm-class 32Gb MLC NAND chips and a controller. The 17-die stack was achieved by using 30-micron thick chips and advanced package technology. With the new 64GB solution, Samsung’s proprietary embedded memory, moviNAND, is now available in 64GB, 32GB, 16GB, 8GB and 4GB densities.

The 32GB microSD card, developed this month, stacks eight 32Gb NAND components and a card controller. The industry’s highest capacity, production-ready microSD card is enabled by the use of Samsung’s advanced 30-nm class 32Gb NAND flash memory technology. Previously, the highest density microSD card in production had a 16GB capacity and was based on 40nm-class 16Gb NAND. The new 32GB card is 1mm-thick. The portion of the card that is inserted into a handset measures just 0.7 mm in height.

According to market research firm iSuppli, the global NAND flash memory market for 32GB and higher memory cards is forecast to be 530 million units in 2010 and reach 9.5 billion units by 2013 (in 16Gb equivalent units).

Samsung’s new 64GB moviNAND has been in mass production from December 2009, while the 32GB microSD is now being sampled with OEMs, with mass production expected next month.

Ever since the iPhone and iPod touch were released, it seems like a trend that its memory capacity doubles every single year: 8GB, 16GB and 32GB for the iPhone and twice that for the iPod touch. Now that Toshiba can pack 64GB of NAND flash memory onto a single chip, it’s easy for us to imagine this technology finding its way into the next generation iPhone and iPod touch. If you’ve been one of those people holding off on buying an iPhone or iPod touch because of your massive iTunes library, your decision might get a little easier this coming summer.

Read

Taiwan-based chip manufacturer JMicron is reportedly preparing to make a splash next month at Computex 2009 when it debuts its latest breakthrough NAND flash controller. The JMF612, successor to the company’s JMF602 pictured above, represents one of several technological advancements that could combine to substantially reduce Solid State Drive (SSD) pricing in the near future. The JMF612 is designed for a new breed of SSD drives that will be smaller, faster and cheaper to manufacture. Combined with an inexpensive single-chip controller such as JMicron’s, SSDs should become much more accessible and affordable — with drive pricing possibly impacted as soon as this holiday season. What’s more, the blazing speed of the JMF612 may very well lead to the introduction of a 1TB SSD as the chip’s improved efficiency will allow for larger drive sizes. JMicron is expected to begin mass production of its new controller in July.

Read

Read