Sharp Corp and Intel Corp have jointly developed a 16-megabit flash memory module based on the international standard. Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports the two have begun shipping samples at 4,500 yen ($40), with mass fabrication to begin in the fall. The module conforms to interface specifications set last July by Sharp, Intel, Fujitsu Ltd and Advanced Micro Devices Inc (CI No 2,961), the first common standard for flash memory; previously, devices from different makers had been incompatible. According to the companies, the Sharp-Intel module can write data four times faster than existing flash memory devices produced by the two firms. They also plan to ship samples of a 32-megabit module based on the same standard this fall.
