Intel announces NOR flash memory products

DQC News Bureau

Intel Corporation introduced its first NOR flash memory products aimed at the
emerging low-cost cell phone segment. The new products have a pin-sharing
package to minimize pin count and are configured to work with low-cost,
single-chip base band and RF solutions from leading chipset suppliers. Major
handset vendors are expected to start introducing low-cost cell phones based on
Intel flash products this quarter.

Intel is introducing these products in response to increasing market demand
for low-cost phones. The cell phone industry's GSM association estimates that
only 20 percent of the world's population uses cell phones.

“We're expanding Intel's proven leadership in NOR flash memory for
handsets to the emerging low-cost handset market segment,” said Darin
Billerbeck VP and GM - Flash Products Group, Intel. “With our handset,
customer can choose from a comprehensive menu of NOR flash memory products from
32MB density at the low end to 1GB density for multi-media cell phones.

“We view the low-cost handset market segment as an ongoing growth
opportunity and we have a migration path in place to transit our products from
130nm and 90nm process technology to 65nm process technology in 2007,”
Billerbeck added.

Intel's products for the low-cost handset market segment features
cost-efficient, neither lower density NOR flash memory products from 32MB to
256MB with optional RAM in a multi-chip package. These products include a common
88-ball QUAD+ package with an address-data multiplexed (A/D Mux) configuration
that simplifies the design-in process, enabling faster time-to-market and lower
design costs. These memory solutions are expected to evolve to also support the
common 107-ball x 16C package with an A/D Mux configuration.

To enable accelerated design cycles, Intel offers a portable low-cost handset
design kit, which includes a design guide, product datasheets and migration
guides. Available in both single-chip and multi-cell packages, the products are
being sampled by customers and will now be in volume production in the third
quarter this year.