INTEL INTRODUCES FIRST FLASH MEMORY
PRODUCT ON 0.13-MICRON PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
Extends Leadership in Advanced
Process Technology
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 23, 2001 -- Intel Corporation today
introduced
the industry's first flash memory product built on 0.13-micron process
technology. The new flash memory chip is nearly 50 percent smaller and
consumes less power than its 0.18-micron predecessor, making it ideal
for
cell phones and other electronics equipment where small form factors
and
low power are critical requirements.
"Intel continues to lead the industry in flash memory technical
innovation
and reliability," said Curt Nichols, vice president and general
manager of
Intel's Flash Products Group. "Intel is also the leading supplier
of flash
memory. Our goal is to ship 0.13-micron flash products before our
closest
competitors ship 0.18-micron products, putting Intel two product
generations ahead of the next largest supplier."
The Intel® 3 Volt Advanced+ Boot Block flash memory chip announced
today
is part of a family of Advanced Boot Block flash memory products that
have
shipped more than 700 million units, making it the world's
best-selling
flash memory product. The chip helps power cell phones and other
devices
by storing program code that is used by the internal processor to
operate
the device. The chip also stores user data such as a device's address
book.
Intel became the world's first company to introduce 0.13-micron
products
in volume when it announced five new mobile processors, including the
mobile Intel® Pentium® III-M,
in July. Intel has also introduced 0.13-micron processors for desktops
and
servers. Last week, Intel opened its second 0.13-micron high-volume
semiconductor manufacturing facility. The company has plans to build
0.13-micron products at four locations in the United States by the end
of
the year.
New Process Technology to Enable
Higher Densities of Flash
As the Internet and data-intensive applications come to cell phones,
more complex, higher density flash memory is required to process these
applications. However, high-density flash must consume less power and
be
physically smaller in size to preserve cell phone battery life and
ever-shrinking form factors. The new Advanced+ Boot Block flash offers
cell phone manufacturers the world's smallest 32 Mbit die, more than
200
times smaller in cell size than the original flash memory introduced
by
Intel in the mid-1980s. The new process technology will also allow
Intel
to build flash memories with densities up to 512 Mbit, further
benefiting
cell phone manufacturers in their efforts to provide more advanced
features and functions for their products.
Intel's 0.13-micron process technology features the world's fastest
transistor, the smallest transistor gate and the thinnest gate oxide.
All
these features combined deliver the industry's highest performance
products at lower levels of power consumption.
The 3 Volt Advanced+ Boot Block flash will be available in 32- and
64-Mbit densities. The 32-Mbit chip is sampling now and will be in
production in the second quarter of next year. The 64-Mbit chip will
be in
production in late 2002. In 10,000-unit quantities, prices will be $11
for
32-Mbit chips and $19 for the 64-Mbit chips. The flash product is the
newest addition to Intel's growing wireless product portfolio and
complements the Intel® Personal Internet Client Architecture - a
development blueprint for building wireless handheld communications
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading
manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products.
Additional information about Intel is available at
www.intel.com/pressroom.
Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the
United States and other countries.
* Third party marks and brands are property of their respective
holders.
