South Korean electronics giant Samsung announced today that it has started shipping samples of its 8 GB (16 Gbit) moviNAND flash memory to manufacturers. The 8 GB modules are the highest-capacity embedded flash memory developed to date, and offer a high-speed MultiMediaCard (MMC) controller and associated firmware for simple integration with mobile devices.
According to Samsung, the 8 GB modules offer enough memory to store 2,000 songs or implement a GPS system with associated points of interest which covers the “entire western world.” Samsung also touts the 8 GB moviNAND module as being 10 o 20 percent smaller than other flash-based memory card systems, while pushing data at an industry-leading 52 MB per second. Samsung says it expects the market for moviNAND to reach some $4 billion by 2010; the company plans to begin mass-producing the 8 GB part in the second quarter of 2007, which will expand the comapny’s moviNAND offerings from 512 MB to 8 GB. The company only began shipping 1 GB and 2 GB moviNAND modules in September of 2006, so the jump to 8 GB is coming pretty quickly.
