As part of its push into wireless, Intel has unveiled a flash memory chip that promises to reduce the time it takes to get information from mobile phones and handhelds.
The upcoming chip, called 3 Volt Synchronous StrataFlash, can retrieve data four times faster than standard flash memory, according to Intel. As a result, wireless and other applications will run faster or pop up more quickly on a device.
Flash is used inside devices such as handhelds and mobile phones to store applications and other data. Flash memory is used widely because of its low cost and ability to retain data when power is shut off. Engineers have compared how flash memory works to how bumblebees fly: In theory, neither should work, but the proof is there to see.
Technically speaking, the upcoming chip shifts from an asynchronous method of reading data to a synchronous process. The move helps boost performance.
Synchronous flash memory allows data to be read in a continuous stream, as opposed to one chunk at a time in asynchronous flash. Instead of reading a single 8-bit chunk of data every 90 nanoseconds, StrataFlash reads a group of 16 8-bit chunks in rapid succession over 305 nanoseconds, said Greg Matson, Intel"s StrataFlash marketing manager.
The increased data-transfer rate--up to 92MB per second in its maximum burst mode--leads to performance increases for software, he said.