Intel proposes new interface for Flash devices

[LiamC]

..."Well, ONFI is more than that - it is a part of an initiative to optimise the flash memory integration and performance in the PCs, starting with NVMHCI "Non Volatile Mem Host Controller Interface" akin to SATA AHCI."...

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/10/13/speeding-flash-flash

 

[jtr1962]

Interesting. I remember mentioning a few years ago while discussing NVRAM either here, or at SR, that future PCs would probably have slots for NVRAM. This would either completely replace separate hard drives, or at least supplement them. Seems this will actually happen. Half a gigabyte per second transfer rates plus low latency sounds amazing compared to what we have now. I can imagine a system booting almost instantly.

 

[LunarMist]

I can imagine a system booting almost instantly.

Maybe that will be so on a notebook or a simplistic desktop system, but it still takes a lot of time to detect all the hard drives and arrays on all the controllers in an advanced system for heavy users. I doubt that there will be 10TB snap-in memory modules very soon.

 

[udaman]

Maybe that will be so on a notebook or a simplistic desktop system, but it still takes a lot of time to detect all the hard drives and arrays on all the controllers in an advanced system for heavy users. I doubt that there will be 10TB snap-in memory modules very soon.

Intel has a history of proposing craptastic innovations, lol. Hybrid drives are nearly stillborn (USB3.0 blows, as much superior FW1600/3200 could have been on the market right now if there was enough marketing pull from Sony/Apple), even if Samsung just released one for Vista laptops. Pure 64GB SSD's already available (costly) for Alienware & Dell, & Samsung laptops.

Probably before you'll see a commercially available low cost 200lm/w LED that has the size/convienence/low cost performance of the standard 100w incandescent bulb, lol (though I'm sure jtr's oft mention ~2010 date for 200lm/w white LED's in 300ma range will come close and making replacement of fuggly HPS a practical reality then- if a bit later than that).

Yeah, so 2+yrs from now, thats not very far compared to how long it took for HD to get to 1TB, yes?



http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=120870&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1038105&highlight=

Prominent product specifications include:
* 52,000 Sustained Random Read IOPS; 17,000 Sustained Random
Write IOPS
* 250MB/sec sustained, sequential reads; 200MB/sec sustained,
sequential writes
* Interface: 3Gbps SATA and Dual-port SAS
* Power Consumption (Operational): 500mA
* Form Factor: 3.5-inch standard HDD dimensions
* Weight of less than 0.4 g
* Standard five year warranty

Probably be around 2012 before the price gets lower then $1k, but then Merc's 1st 1GB SCSI drive cost about that much

http://www.storagesearch.com/ssd-fastest.html

http://www.storagesearch.com/ssd-terabyte-art.html

 

[jtr1962]

I doubt that there will be 10TB snap-in memory modules very soon.

Considering that flash RAM cell dimensions are shrinking by a factor of two each year (meaning four times the storage on the same chip), that may come sooner than you think. Today 16GB flash drives are at roughly the same price point as 500 GB hard drives. In 2010, or 3 years time, those same physical size drives should have a factor of 64 increase in capacity, or roughly 1 TB, for the same cost. Granted, mechanical hard disks will probably be up to perhaps 1.5 or 2 TB for the same cost, but that's still only a slight edge. 2 years further down the road and you have your 10 TB memory modules. So not right now, but perhaps 2012 or so.

Funny but I think mechanical hard disks will go obsolete at roughly the same time as incandescent lamps. Speaking of obsolescence, has anyone noticed that CRT monitors are competely out of the picture (Newegg has 5 models left, probably just leftover stock, compared to 300+ LCDs), while CRT TVs are practically gone?

 

[Pradeep]

I picked up a couple of 21" trinitron CRT screens a few weeks back. What I had forgotten since going flat panel is the absolutely tossload of space they take, depth wise. Might have to pony up for a 19" flat panel, seems worth it for the extra space it gives you.