Micron Develops New Memory for Atom Tablets and Netbooks

Now that analysts are predicting a rapid growth for both netbooks and tablets, it makes sense that all IT players would want to take advantage of this potential for growth one way or another. Micron is one of those companies, and the means by which it plans to make its mark seems to have taken the form of a specially-made memory technology. The outfit just unveiled a 2Gb DDR2 product based on the 50nm manufacturing process technology.

The 50nm DDR2 will come in multiple capacities, from 512Mb to 2Gb components in X4, X8 and X16 packages. They also feature up to 800 megatransfers per second (MGT/s), which provides a migration path for higher bus speeds. Furthermore, they have the significant asset of requiring less system power thanks to their support for voltages of 1.55V.

“The transition of Micron's 2Gb DDR2 product to the more advanced 50nm process node demonstrates the company's continued commitment and ongoing investment in technologies that meet market demand. In addition to the increase in density from 1Gb to 2Gb-based components, the move to the 50nm process inherently provides improved power savings and a smaller memory footprint,” states the official press release.

"Micron's 2Gb 50nm DDR2 device is the ideal memory companion for Intel's upcoming Intel® Atom processor-based 'Oak Trail' platform," said Robert Feurle, Micron's vice president of DRAM Marketing. "Given its low-power demands, maximum density and high performance, it is well-suited for the thriving tablet market. Additionally, Micron is committed to this 50nm product line and looks forward to providing ongoing support for customers' innovations around this technology."

"The upcoming Intel® Atom™ 'Oak Trail' platform is optimized specifically for tablets and sleek netbook designs," said Erik Reid, director, Mobile Product Group at Intel. "With its low power and performance for multi-tasking, rich media and the Internet, the features and benefits of 'Oak Trail,' in combination with Micron's 2Gb 50nm DDR2 provide a powerful solution for our joint customers' design needs."

The new DDR2 will only start being mass produced in the fourth quarter of 2010, but will begin sampling as early as September.