Remembering Simon Sze

I was saddened to hear last week of the death this month of Simon Sze, the co-inventor of the floating gate, which was the basis of EPROM, E²PROM, and nearly all flash memory prior to the advent of 3D NAND, which uses a charge trap instead.

Dr. Sze was not only responsible for the floating gate, but he was a pioneer in Continue reading “Remembering Simon Sze”

Weebit Moves Ahead Step-By-Step

Green box with three prongs sticking out o each side to abstractly imply a packaged chip.In the world of startups it’s unusual to see one that disciplines itself to a steady cadence of consistent execution.   Countless times The Memory Guy blog has profiled companies that perform some important feat, and then fail to repeat that success.  With that background it’s refreshing to see a company that methodically moves in a straight line towards its goal.

The company I am talking about today is Continue reading “Weebit Moves Ahead Step-By-Step”

Two CXL Conundrums

 

Red square with white letters "CXL" interspersed with question marksWith all the interest in CXL lately it’s past time for The Memory Guy blog to weigh in on this new technology.  Although I plan to write a little tutorial soon, this post will start with the idea that the reader already has some knowledge of CXL and can appreciate the two conundrums I am about to discuss.

CXL’s magic is mainly that it can add memory to systems in a way that doesn’t bog down the Continue reading “Two CXL Conundrums”

World Record ReRAM and More

Photo of Ron Neale, Renowned Phase-Change Memory ExpertRon Neale joins us to look at a new World Record for Oxide-ReRAMs.  Here he explores the possibility that, rather than an analogue-like device with a continuum of conduction states, the resolution limit of conductance stems from discrete building blocks or nano-filaments that define the changes between those states.  A dichotomy of views on oxide ReRAM operation is part of the mix.


For Oxide ReRAM watchers, one of the highlights of the first half of 2023 was Continue reading “World Record ReRAM and More”

Where Are We in the Memory Cycle?

My regular clients who get quarterly in-person market updates and those readers who have attended my annual Flash Market Update session at the Flash Memory Summit have often been told how Objective Analysis models the memory market based on supply/demand dynamics and the fact that memory chip prices tend to follow a very predictable pattern.  In this post The Memory Guy blog will explain that Continue reading “Where Are We in the Memory Cycle?”

Micron Closed Out of Some China Markets

Logos for both Micron and the Cybersecurity Administration of ChinaOn May 21 a government agency in China issued a ruling to prevent Micron Technology products from being used in systems that handle critical information.  This is the outcome of an investigation that the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) opened in March, accusing the company of cybersecurity crimes.

This Memory Guy blog post examines the impact of Continue reading “Micron Closed Out of Some China Markets”

Infineon Introduces NOR with an LPDDR Interface

Block diagram of a system superimposed over a ghost view of an auto. The system shows a microcontroller communicating with a SEMPER X1 LPDDR NOR flash chip.Infineon recently introduced a NOR flash chip with an LPDDR interface.  Some clients have asked The Memory Guy: “Why would Infineon have done that?”

After all, LPDDR is mostly used in cell phones, and these boot from the enormous NAND flash that’s already in the phone.  A byte of NAND is a couple of orders of magnitude cheaper than a byte of NOR, so a cell phone’s not going to use this part.

Infineon tells us that their target market is Continue reading “Infineon Introduces NOR with an LPDDR Interface”

In Memoriam: Gordon Moore

Photo of Gordon Moore in the 1970sToday Gordon Moore, a figurehead in the semiconductor industry, passed away at 94 years of age.  He will be sorely missed by the semiconductor industry.

Moore, the namesake of Moore’s Law, cofounded both Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel Corporation.  He was an unassuming genius and visionary who, as a part of Intel’s leadership triumvirate in the company’s main growth phase, provided Continue reading “In Memoriam: Gordon Moore”