Intel and Other ONFI Allies Will Provide NAND Flash Memory for iPod

Intel Corp. and its allies Hynix Semiconductor, Micron Technology, Phison Electronics Corp. and Sony Corp. recently announced that they will establish a new working group (the ONFI), which will have a single propose - the configuration of the open NAND flash interface.

Even if the main NAND flash memory manufacturer - Samsung - has not joined the group, ONFI still intends to simplify the modality in which this type of flash memory is integrated into consumer electronics (CE) devices by creating a special interface.
Samsung is very likely to join the group because of Apple, the main NAND customer, as its famous iPod features exactly this type of flash memory used to store data within the device.

However, Apple has signed an agreement with most of ONFI members (Hynix Semiconductor, Intel Corp., Micron), but also with other most likely future ONFI companies - Samsung Electronics and Toshiba.
"Establishing a standard interface technology will help companies accelerate time to market and enable new products to use NAND-based memory," said Celeste Crystal, senior research analyst for IDC. "Working together to establish an industry standard, such as ONFI, will help simplify the integration of NAND flash memory into PCs and consumer electronics".

The interface will enable NAND devices to self-describe their capabilities to the host, including memory layout and enhanced features. The specification is scheduled to be completed by the ONFI working group in the second half of 2006.