November 9, 2006 – Intel Corp. says it has ramped to volume shipments of 65nm-based NOR flash multilevel cell memory products, including a 1Gb monolithic part for cell phones. The products, based on Intel’s StrataFlash Cellular Memory architecture (M18 product family), are compatible with Intel’s 90nm-based flash chips. Smaller-density versions of the NOR flash chips (512Mb, 256Mb, and 128Mb) are expected to be released in 2007.

The new 65nm NOR MLS parts offer read speeds of up to 133MHz, write speeds of 1.0MB/sec, and storage capabilities to support 4-megapixel cameras and MPEG-4 video in multimedia phones. The devices also offer lower power consumption, 1.8-volt operation, and a deep power-down mode. Intel, which developed the M18 line in an ongoing cellular memory architecture collaboration with STMicroelectronics, says the M18 family has been validated on the top 10 chipsets in the market.

“The density of our 1Gb product provides nearly double the storage for multimedia files and enables ever-slimmer form factor phones, both key elements for our customers,” stated Darin Billerbeck, VP and GM, Intel Flash Products Group.