SanDisk has also produced a X4 controller, which is necessary to effectively manage the complexities and performance requirements of X4 memory. The X4 memory chip combines with the X4 controller chip in a multi-chip package (MCP) to provide a complete, integrated and low-cost storage solution, according to Khandker Quader, senior vice president, memory technology & product development, SanDisk.

SanDisk co-developed the 64Gb X4 flash memory chip on 43nm technology with Toshiba, which cooperates with SanDisk in the development and manufacturing of advanced flash memory. The new 43nm 64Gb X4 chip is the highest capacity and highest density flash memory die in the world to enter production this year, boasting a 7.8MB/second memory write performance that's comparable with current multi-level cell technologies, Quader says. SanDisk's patented All-Bit-Line (ABL) architecture as well as the newly introduced three-step programming (TSP) and sequential sense concept (SSC) serve as key enablers to X4's impressive performance, he adds.

SanDisk has also announced the co-development of multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory using 32-nanometer (nm) process technology to produce a 32-GB, 3-bits-per-cell (X3) memory chip. Production for the 32nm 32Gb X3 is expected to begin in the second half of 2009.

The breakthrough introduction is expected to quickly bring to market advanced technologies that will enable greater capacities and reduce manufacturing costs for products ranging from memory cards to Solid State Drives (SSD), according to Sanjay Mehrotra, co-founder and president, SanDisk.

The 32Gb X3 on 32nm technology is the smallest NAND flash memory die reported so far, able to fit into the fingernail-sized microSD memory card format. The 32nm 32Gb X3 is the highest density microSD memory die in the world, providing twice the capacity of a microSD chip on 43nm while still maintaining a similar die area, says Mehrotra.