Samsung unveils a new Flash Memory chip

Say hello to PRAM – phase-change RAM. Someday it’s going to replace high density NOR flash. At least according to Samsung. The claim is that PRAM is 30 times faster than the flash memory currently in use. The lifetime of this chip is expected to be ten times longer than NOR flash memory. PRAM will be used in cell phones, MP3 players, laptops and other devices. But don’t hold your breath: this chip won’t be available until about 2008.
But, by all accounts it should be worth the wait. Today, Samsung showed off the PRAM prototype which is 512 megabit. The “faith” Samsung has in this prediction of the PRAM’s future success is based on speed. PRAM can rewrite new data without erasing old data first. Even non-nerds like Speed!

And while I’m not quite sure how small 0.0467um is, that’s the cell size of PRAM. Basically this translates to half the size of NOR flash. That means more memory in cell phones. And smaller cell phones. HA! People laughed at the Zoolander phone. Well, maybe they should have.

In any case, I have become a big fan of flash memory and this looks like something I want.

Written by Cecilia