Intel pitches 65nm flash chip for mobile phone memory

InfoWorld reports that "mobile phones built in 2007 could store twice as many photos as they do now with a super-dense NOR flash memory chip from Intel." According to the article, "Intel will achieve the gain by producing the chip on a tiny, 65-nanometer scale. Compared to standard 90-nanometer flash geometry, this allows designers to store 1Gb of data on a single layer, instead of stacking two chips."

Intel claims when it ships samples of this "Capulet" chip to OEMs in the fourth quarter,"it will be at least six months ahead of rivals Spansion and Samsung Semiconductor."

Richard Doherty at Envisioneering Group thought "the launch will have more value as a strategic move by Intel than as a sign the rest of the industry will soon follow. Sixty-five-nanometer flash will initially appeal only to those users demanding 3G-speed video and fast gaming."

Nicole D'Onofrio at Current Analysis said, "Intel's shift to a 65mn process will help strengthen Intel's competitive position in the cell phone market. However, Intel will not go unchallenged."

The article pointed out that "Samsung announced Tuesday it was mass-producing similar NAND flash memory chips, using a 70-nanometer process to provide 1Gb capacity. The OneNAND product has 70 percent greater efficiency than standard 90-nanometer processing, making it appropriate for mobile handsets, memory cards for digital cameras and hybrid hard disk drives."