computer simplified...: 2008

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Intel, Micron Develop First Sub-40nm NAND Flash Memory Device

Intel Corporation and Micron Technology, Inc. introduced the industry's first sub-40 nanometer (nm) NAND memory device, unveiling a 34nm 32 gigabit (Gb) multi-level cell chip. This process technology was jointly developed by Intel and Micron and manufactured by the companies' NAND flash joint venture, IM Flash Technologies (IMFT). It is the smallest NAND process geometry on the market. The 32 Gb NAND chip is the only monolithic device at this density that fits into a standard 48-lead thin small-outline package (TSOP), providing a cost-effective path to higher densities in existing applications. Shipments of customer samples begin in June and mass production is expected during the second half of this year calendar.

"This new 32 Gb device provides the best bit storage density available in the industry," said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron's Memory Group. "Together with our partners at Intel, we're proud to have now taken the lead in production process technology."

"The introduction of 34nm process technology highlights IMFT's rapid progress and moves us to the forefront of NAND process technology," said Pete Hazen, director of marketing, Intel NAND Products Group. "These advancements will expand the value proposition and accelerate the adoption of solid-state drive (SSD) solutions in computing platforms."

34nm 32 Gb NAND Chip from Intel and MicronThe 34nm 32 Gb chips will be manufactured on 300 millimeter wafers, each producing approximately 1.6 terabytes of NAND. Measuring just 172mm², less than the size of a thumbnail, the 34nm 32 Gb chip will cost-effectively enable high-density solid-state storage in small form factor applications.

A single 32 Gb chip could store more than 2,000 high-resolution digital photos or hold up to 1,000 songs on a personal music player.
Two 8-die stacked packages would realize 64 gigabytes (GBs) of storage, enough for recording anywhere from eight to 40 hours of high-definition video in a digital camcorder.

The 34nm 32Gb chip was designed with solid-state drives in mind. The product will enable more cost-effective SSDs, instantly doubling the current storage volume of these devices and driving capacities to beyond 256 GBs in today's standard, smaller 1.8-inch form factor. SSDs are becoming the new storage medium for notebook computers, providing lower power, faster boot-up time, increased reliability, improved performance and reduced noise than hard disk drives. With the innovations in NAND process technology, such as with the 34nm NAND process, SSDs now offer a significant range of capacities to meet market requirements.

Based on the 34nm architecture, Intel and Micron also plan to introduce lower density multi-level cell products including single-level cell products, by the end of this year.

About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live.

About Micron
Micron Technology, Inc., is one of the world's leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations, Micron manufactures and markets DRAMs, NAND flash memory, CMOS image sensors, other semiconductor components, and memory modules for use in leading-edge computing, consumer, networking, and mobile products. Micron's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the MU symbol.

Micron and the Micron logo are trademarks of Micron Technology, Inc. Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Intel and Micron produce first sub-40nm NAND device

Just a few months back, we all gave SanDisk a round of golf claps for moving towards 43-nanometer NAND production. Fast forward to today, and that "feat" doesn't look so mighty anymore. Intel and Micron have just announced the industry's first sub-40nm NAND flash memory device, the 34nm 32 gigabit multi-level cell chip. The process technology was collaboratively developed by the two firms' joint venture, IM Flash Technologies (IMFT)," and there's nary a hint of shame when they trumpet that this is the "smallest NAND process geometry on the market." Sample shipments are expected to leave the dock in June, while mass production should get going sometime in the second half of this year. Somehow, we get the impression this won't stay on top for long.

Intel's Montevina mistake causes Centrino setback

It's IT Blogwatch: in which Intel has to delay its new Centrino 2 laptop chipset ("Montevina"). Not to mention why Simon Cowell is scared of owls...

Sharon Gaudin squeezes Sumner Lemon to report:

A problem with Intel Corp.'s integrated graphics chip set has forced the company to postpone the launch of its new Centrino 2 laptop system. The problem could be just the foot in the door that rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. has been looking for. While Intel is delaying its mobile chip set for a month, AMD is slated to announce its own next-generation mobile processor next week. This is the first product delay for Intel in two years ... Intel confirmed that its Centrino 2 mobile platform, code-named Montevina, is being pushed back from a scheduled release in June to a partial release in July and a more expansive release in August ... The Centrino 2 platform includes new Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme Mobile processors, as well as an updated chip set with integrated graphics. On the wireless side, Centrino 2 will offer support for Wi-Fi and WiMax as an option. more

Stewart Meagher adds:

Intel has pushed back the launch ... after discovering problems in the platform's integrated graphics as well as issues with 802.11n wireless certification ... the Centrino 2 platform will feature Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme mobile processors if it ever makes it out of the factory ... it's now looking like August at the earliest before anyone gets their hands on the new kit in any kind of volume, although the Intel PR machine is talking in terms of days when it comes to the delays. more

Wolfgang Gruener:

[It's] providing AMD with an opportunity to pitch its Puma platform and Turion Ultra processor. Intel’s engineering and manufacturing engine has been running flawlessly over the past two years, taking away AMD’s room to breathe ... it will be interesting to see whether AMD will be able to take advantage of this situation and whether Intel’s delay will be significant enough to allow AMD to capture a greater share of the H2 business. Puma, we heard, is ready to be rolled out and will aim mainly for the entry-level and mainstream segment of the market. It remains to be seen how Intel will be impacted, but there is no denying that the company needs its mobile platform to deliver: The mobile business brings in more than 40% of Intel’s profits (57% if we count in the money-losing businesses such as flash). more

Eric Bangeman reminds:

Montevina is the successor to Intel's current Santa Rosa platform, and will come in two flavors: Shirley Peak and Echo Peak. Like Santa Rosa, Shirley Peak will use a 45nm Penryn CPU and will also include full support for 802.11n (Draft 2.0). Echo Peak will build on Shirley Peak, incorporating full support for WiMAX (802.16e-2005), which Intel says will be capable of speeds of up to 10Mbps down and 4Mbps up, into the chipset. Intel has yet to announce a shipping date for Echo Peak, and when asked about it today, a company spokesperson pointed to the current scarcity of WiMAX deployments in the US. more

Eric Savitz follows the money:

Intel (INTC) has confirmed analyst chatter that it is having some technical glitches with the latest version of its Centrino processors. Intel now says some versions of the chip will ship July 14, with others coming out in early August, missing the company’s target of a first-half ship date. The company said the delay reflects a problem with the graphic elements of the Montevina chipsets which support the processor. The company also said the delay was caused in part by failure to validate a wireless antenna on the chip with the FCC on time. Intel said the delay does not affect its financial outlook for Q2. more

But Dan Frommer's not so sure:

This is bad news for Intel customers like Apple (AAPL), which will have to wait several weeks to refresh their laptops with the new chips. (Even if the chips ship in mid-July, it will take longer for computers to ship in large volumes.) Why does the delay matter? Because now Apple probably won't be able to roll out updated MacBooks until mid-to-late summer -- well into the busy (and important) back-to-school shopping season. more

And finally...

* Why Simon Cowell is scared of owls: deeply disturbing

Buffer overflow:

* Datamation: Insensitive To The Electro-Sensitive?
* Kevin Poulsen: Man Allegedly Bilks E-trade, Schwab of $50,000 by Collecting Lots of Free 'Micro-Deposits'
* F-Secure Weblog: Flash w/ SQL
* Kurt Cagle: Rebooting XML.com
* Layer 8: The HP pretexting ghost hovers over FTC’s latest settlement
* Timothy Lee: The Internet Isn't 'Critical Infrastructure'
* Good Morning Silicon Valley: Realtors finally buy into reality
* Groklaw: Shining Some Light on Microsoft's Moonlight Covenant

Other Computerworld bloggers:

* Mike Elgan: Chatter about Amazon's Kindle reveals nothing
* Eric Ogren: Bad experiences with Microsoft OfficeLive
* Preston Gralla: Is Windows 7 really Vista SP2 in disguise?
* Robert L. Mitchell: The not-so-free cell phone
* SJVN: Five reasons to fire Ballmer
* Seth Weintraub: Sync Google Calendar and iPhone over the air with NemusSync
* Michael R. Farnum: Security maturation
* Mark Hall: Telelogic changes Change
* Shark Tank: Aha!
* Shark Bait: Just a little heat ought to fix it

Intel Premier IT Professional series provides virtualization resources

New vendors, strategies, technologies and capabilities seem to present themselves daily to the virtualization administrator and manager. One resource that can help is the Intel Premier IT Professional (IPIP) community.

Today I had the opportunity to attend the IPIP event here in Columbus, Ohio. The meeting provided a great vendor-independent view of virtualization products that revolve around Intel technologies. Planning your virtualization hardware environment is critical to the decisions that will be made in your current and future virtualization implementations.

Between now and the end of the year, Intel is conducting ten more of these events throughout North America. The agenda of these events includes sessions in the following areas:

* Intel product roadmap
* Client virtualization strategies
* Consolidation efficiencies through virtualization
* Application virtualization strategies

One important advantage to attending the events is that you can have access to non-disclosure information about the processor product line, a key planning part of virtual environments. But the live events are only the tip of the iceberg. On the IPIP website, members can access case studies, presentations, videos and white papers anytime. Also, every page on the IPIP site has a popularity tag that content of all types can be viewed from the tags.

The best part of these resources is that they are free. Check out the Intel Premier IT Professional website and register for an event in your area.

Intel: Riding the technology wave

By Reem Nafie
First Published: May 29, 2008

CAIRO: “I look at the same data as everybody else and I come up with a different answer,” said William A. Swope, Intel's corporate vice president, when asked to name the reason behind his success.

“Technology can make a difference,” Swope, who is also general manager of Intel's corporate affairs group, told Daily News Egypt.

Since joining Intel in 1979, Swope has held numerous roles including manufacturing technology planning, strategic product planning and product management. He currently manages global business units at Intel and is responsible for worldwide public policy, education, community engagement, public affairs, social responsibility and the Intel Foundation.

Since its founding in 1968, Intel has dedicated much of its resources to improving education worldwide, partnering with governments and organizations to equip the youth with ICT skills.

This month, Intel celebrated the second anniversary of the Egyptian Education Initiative, which has provided 1,000 computers to 15 schools in Egypt, equipped with educational contents and networks to create a one-on-one learning methodology. The initiative has also trained 150,000 teachers in Egypt on ways to integrate technology into the classrooms.

Intel invests more than $100 million annually to improve education in over 50 countries.

Swope admits that Intel “is just one private company, but we can train teachers and show there’s a difference in how people teach and learn.” He also hopes that with the success of this initiative “it will inspire other companies to help every child in the world receive a better education.”

Despite the shortcomings of education in the region, the Middle East has massive IT potential. Egypt, Swope says, is an interesting place geographically in terms of trade and commerce, which gives it a comparative advantage in the region.

“The use of computers is low in the country now, with PC penetration being around only 10 percent, which [means] the country has potential,” he said.

Egypt’s IT future looks bright, he says, because of its added potential in the field of renewable energy.

“Egypt has wind and sun, which puts it in a good position and it hasn’t used all its ICT capacity,” he said. “All these factors combined will definitely lead to something positive happening.”

Swope participated in the World Economic Forum on the Middle East held in Sharm El-Sheikh last week. He led the discussion on “The Hyperlinked World” scenario – a technological view of the world in 2025, which will see people ultra-connected through technologies like Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and WiMAX. Optimized transport and communications will ideally work together to create a hyper-connected world where boundaries are erased and citizens of the world are mobile — which is very close to Intel's own vision.

“In 2025, Intel will be a very different company because our products will be different,” he told Daily News Egypt. In 20 years, he said, instant face recognition software, instant translation software and gadgets similar to the ones in sci-fi movies will be dominant.

“Everything about communication will be easy and nearly half the planet will be connected,” he said.

“In that context, Intel will be building very unique products and small devices that will enable these communications” he said.

Working towards that goal, Intel recently launched a technology package that includes five new Intel Atom processors and their new Intel Centrino Atom processor technology for MIDs.

MIDs will allow consumers to communicate, entertain, access information and be productive on-the-go, and are expected to represent a new class of next-generation, internet-based portable video players, navigation devices, converged tablets and other consumer products.

“The Atom will change the way computers work, through its cheap price, low energy consumption and small size,” Khaled Elamrawi, Intel country manager for Egypt, Levant and North Africa, told Daily News Egypt.

Interview: Samsung will follow Intel's MID dream

Intel showed off various MIDs at it's Spring Intel Developer Forum conference

Fresh from fighting Intel’s UMPC corner, Samsung has told us it will be releasing an MID, or Mobile Internet Device. The MID is an Intel concept, oft-talked up at recent Intel Developer Forums as well as Paul Otellini’s CES keynote in January.

Recently, TechRadar spoke to Jeongseon Euh, Principal R&D Engineer in Samsung’s Computer Systems Division when we visited Samsung’s research facilities in Suwon City, South Korea. As we reported before, he was very lukewarm on the prospect of Intel’s new Atom processor.

Euh stressed that Atom is, in fact, not necessarily intended for mini laptop PCs (like the Asus Eee PC), but that it is designed for “very cheap devices.”

Atom not for UMPCs?

Intel is pushing the MID very hard. “We don’t know if the market is going to move. Still Taiwan and Chinese companies [have] developed MIDs but they haven’t hit the market yet.”

“My general manager reviewed industrial design for MID more than 15 different times. We haven’t got the final industrial design. But sooner or later we will have some devices. “

“We’re Samsung, we study every [product] category.”

So while the MID will almost certainly employ Atom, can the same be said of Samsung’s Q1 UMPC?. Asked whether Atom could be seen as a better replacement for the Q1 Ultra’s Intel A110 chip, Euh replied. “No. When talking about performance we can talk about clockspeed or battery life. In terms of technology , the main chipset…UMPC part is a little bit higher [in terms of clockspeed]. In terms of power, the UMPC is very [efficient].” Very interesting indeed...

By Dan Grabham

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August 19 – 21, 2008 | San Francisco | Moscone Center West

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If you are ready to develop the next innovative product, to maximize the capabilities of your current projects, to invent the new reality, your next action is clear: register for IDF today.

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