Intel Corp says its famous Moore’s law can now be assigned to history, following a new breakthrough in memory technology it is calling StrataFlash. Key to the new 64 Mbit per chip technology, is the ability to store two bits in each memory cell, compared with current memory technology that store only one. Intel says the multiple bit-per-cell breakthrough will enable it to market higher density flash memory products, at a lower cost per bit. Moore’s law, of course, set out by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore more than 30 years ago, states that the power and complexity of the silicon chip should double every 18 months, with proportionate decreases in cost. Intel claims that its own flash memory products have reflected the Law for the last nine years, increasing in density from 256-kbits in 1998 to 32 megabits in 1997. But by storing multiple bits of information in one memory cell, Intel reckons it is on course to move beyond the law for the first time, perhaps shortening the improvement periods to nine months. It also believes that applications of flash memory will be expanded, improving the quality of digital cameras, and making handheld computers and divvies smaller and smarter. Actually, the technology is not new: Intel first demonstrated it in 1995. But now it has samples, and will be ready for volume production in the first quarter of 1998. It will use the 0.4 micron process technology available from its New Mexico fabrication facilities, and later in the year will migrate production to its new plant in Israel. Intel says it’s the first to ship such technology, but Sunnyvale California-based SanDisk Corp has a similar technology, also at the sampling stage. Earlier this week SanDisk announced that Kodak would be using its CompactFlash products in its digital cameras.
