Blog Entries

Micron Honored by Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:38:00 -0700

The Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce recognized Micron with the “Chamber Legislative Advocate of the Year” award during its annual Small Business of the Year and Best of the Chamber Awards Luncheon at the Boise Centre on May 15.

“The Chamber Legislative Advocate of the Year award recognizes a Chamber Member company who has demonstrated a long term commitment to improve the social and economic well-being of the Boise Valley community, specifically through their lobbying efforts,” said Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Chair and U.S. Bank Senior Vice President & Group Manager Candi Allphin during the ceremony.

Micron Technology, Inc., has been a Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Member since 1995.

Micron Team Members Celebrate During the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Award Ceremony.

Tame the Boot Storm

Mon, 13 May 2013 07:18:00 -0700

If you manage a network of virtual machines, you’ve probably experienced the negative effects of a boot storm too many times. These virtual storms can occur when a large number of users log in to a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) system simultaneously. If the VDI system employs traditional storage, like hard disk drives (HDDs), bandwidth gets overwhelmed quickly. Slow boot times and reduced productivity ensue, often resulting in frustrated and less-efficient users.

Our ultra-high bandwidth PCIe solid state drives (SSDs), including the new P420m SSDs, can help tame these storms. Configure the SSDs to appear as virtual storage devices within the virtual machine’s framework, and the negative effects of boot storms are virtually eliminated. Our internal tests show remarkable improvements when replacing HDDs with Micron’s PCIe SSDs in this manner, including performance on par with a much more expensive network-attached storage (NAS) configuration.

We’ll share more details on our PCIe SSD tests in the coming weeks. In the meantime, learn more from this video about the advantages PCIe SSDs offer for VDI systems.

Biking to Benefit Others

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:03:00 -0700

Earlier this month, Micron’s East Kilbride and Manchester sites went bicycle-to-bicycle in a friendly United Kingdom competition to raise money for local charities. Using the 237-mile distance between the offices as the benchmark, a team from each location spent hours on stationary bike seats competing to cross the finish line first.

When the pedals stopped, the Manchester team won with a pace-setting time of two hours and 38 minutes. The East Kilbride team crossed the finish line in a respectable time of three hours and 25 minutes. Ultimately, the real winners were the charitable organizations selected by each team. The East Kilbride facility raised £251.00 for a variety of charities nominated by team members there while the Manchester cycling team raised £130.00 for St. Anne’s hospice, a locally-based facility.

We applaud our team members at both the East Kilbride and Manchester sites for their efforts, on the bicycle and off, and for their creativity in finding new ways to improve the quality of life in the communities where they work and live.

Shanghai Team Supports Those in Need

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:46:00 -0700

While Micron operations span the globe, we value the communities that help support us and take pride in giving back. When it comes to enriching our communities, we also realize that our team members best understand the unique needs of where they live.

Recently, our team in Shanghai donated seven boxes of books, stationary and clothing to help those in need locally. Micron partnered with Yun Nan, a regional charitable organization, to determine what donations would be most impactful and where our company could help. The Shanghai team’s efforts illustrates another example of Micron’s commitment to enriching the communities where we work and live, and how we rely on the local insights of our team members to make the most powerful contributions possible.

Micron Steps Up

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:21:00 -0700

Micron team members put on their walking shoes to join Boise Mayor Dave Bieter for the “Walk with the Mayor” challenge on Friday, May 3. For the city of Boise’s 2013 sesquicentennial celebration, the Mayor has pledged to walk 150 miles during the year with different organizations and groups in the community.

Micron is proud to support the Mayor’s Walk 150 challenge as it encourages team members and our community to add fitness to their lifestyles for better health.

Learn more on how the city of Boise is stepping up to the Mayor’s challenge.

Why Latency Matters

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:51:00 -0700

When you think about system performance, you have to think latency. In an IT environment, latency affects everything—from efficiency and throughput, to customer satisfaction and operating costs. We are confident that our SSDs can help solve IT latency issues. This video emphasizes the importance of latency using more general, everyday situations.

It’s not often we get to laugh at latency problems. For countless businesses—especially cloud and data center environments—latency is a serious challenge.

Enter our new P420m PCIe SSD. Its ultra-low latency enables fast, predictable system and application response times. But that’s not all. Thanks to Micron's XPERT feature set, the P420m improves reliability and performance—providing the same level of great performance as our other PCIe SSDs, but at a more accessible price point for the enterprise. And it’s built from start to finish with our closely integrated custom-designed controller, 25nm multilevel cell (MLC) NAND technology, DRAM, firmware, and drivers, which makes it an even more reliable, vertically integrated storage solution.

Find out more about the P420m PCIe SSD

Contemplating the Future of Computing

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:07:00 -0700

I spoke Friday at the IEEE Workshop on Microelectronics and Electron Devices (WMED) in Boise about a memory-centric vision for the future of computing. This was my first time at this workshop, and I was very impressed by two things: the high caliber of the talks and the fact that the workshop had strong representation from students at all levels. Coming from the high-performance computing community—which tends to be a somewhat more distinguished, somewhat greyer crowd—seeing a strong student presence was refreshing!

John Knickerbocker from IBM gave a particularly thought-provoking talk on the future of 2D, 2.5D, and 3D integration as ways of combining heterogeneously fabricated elements (logic, memory, MEMS, and other sensors, potentially silicon photonics). The kind of close proximity enabled by these methods is fundamentally critical to the future of computing. Proximity is one of the few ways to significantly decrease the energy required for communication between modules in a computer—which is the key factor in power consumption, regardless of a computer’s scale (mobile phone to supercomputer). With servers consuming up to 1.5% of the world’s power (see Growth in Data Center Electricity Use 2005 to 2010 [updated 2011]), this is a big deal.

Work in advanced technologies like processing-in-memory (PIM) is about performing computation in less energy than it takes to drag the data between a standard memory module and a processor module.

Another dominant and interrelated theme is the change in Moore’s Law that has occurred since 2003. Performance doesn’t simply come “for free” by waiting anymore, so we’re looking to new architectures for an overall improvement in end-user application performance. There was a lot of talk about potential new memory devices, but more than that, there was an air of opportunity about the creation of new architectures capable of addressing problems not well solved by today’s computers.

One repeated theme was human-cortex-inspired computers, which despite being slow, show tremendous 3D structure and interconnectedness. To paraphrase one speaker, they may not be able to diagonalize a matrix better than a von Neumann computer, but they have tremendous capabilities in pattern recognition and other extremely important large-scale data analytics.

The potential for enabling computing in the post Moore’s Law era is in solving the heterogeneous integration problem, which, in turn, enables us to less expensively explore the kinds of architectures capable of addressing workloads that have become more about exploring connections and patterns than traditional science calculations.

The human cerebral cortex is the ultimate example of this: Tens of billions of neurons, each of which has on the order of 50 degrees of freedom, which produce a whopping 6 bits of information. In terms of storage, this is less than a petabyte of information total, which is an achievable goal for silicon systems today using commodity NAND Flash storage. The complexity and power arises not in the raw storage of information, but in how that information is applied.

All in all—pretty heady stuff! Look for more highlights from future events…

Idaho Congressman Simpson Praises Passage of Helium Legislation

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:27:00 -0700

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today supported H.R. 527, legislation that would address the impending closure of the Federal Helium Reserve later this year by allowing it to continue supplying helium while also reforming our nation’s helium policy. H.R. 527 passed in the House 394-1 and now moves to the Senate for consideration.

“The semiconductor industry is not only considered a key American industry, but it is vital to our Idaho economy,” said Simpson. “This industry employs a quarter million people nationwide, and it is one of our largest exports.”

Read Congressman Simpson’s Press Release

IEEE Workshop Inspires Students, Industry Leaders

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:09:00 -0700

The recently held 2013 IEEE Workshop on Microelectronics and Electron Devices (WMED) proved that even those who shape the future of technology can learn from colleagues, educators and students.

With more than 400 attendees participating in different sessions, the workshop grew substantially in its eleventh year. Speakers from across the nation, including several team members from Micron congregated at Boise State University on April 12 to share their knowledge.

Members of the team who organized the event noted the “great, rejuvenating opportunity for engineers to spend the day learning cutting-edge material” and the ability to learn more about advancements within and outside of their fields.

Additionally, the Boise WMED is the only IEEE event that incorporates a high school student-focused program. University students are able to present their work, while high school students also participate in hands-on activities, developed and led this year by Micron Vice President of Memory System Development Dean Klein. This educational programming has drawn the attention of some IEEE leaders who hope to inspire other events to follow suit.

Reflecting the Micron Foundation’s focus, the IEEE workshop offered a unique opportunity to spark a passion for STEM subjects in students who attended. Students had unprecedented access to some of the brightest minds in technology and witnessed the breadth and depth of influence technology has in every aspect of our lives.

The workshop concluded with the Micron Research Symposium, which provided a forum for Micron’s technical leaders to address the faculty and research community at partner universities and highlight the challenges the memory industry is facing today and tomorrow. Researchers in attendance gained a better understanding of our industry, how they can participate in industry relevant research and strengthen existing partnerships.

Organizers recognized the wide range of support for the event from Micron and the Micron Foundation. From the Micron SSD team providing solid state drives for raffles to Dean Klein working with high school students to the Foundation helping increase attendance and university participation, the WMED had one of its strongest years in memory.

Micron’s Xi’an Site Supports Education at Rural Primary School in China

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:00:00 -0700

In partnership with the Micron Foundation, a team of volunteers from Micron’s assembly and test facility in Xi’an recently visited Longquan Primary School located in Danfeng District (300 km/186 mi from Xi’an City) to launch a support plan for the school. Established in 2005, the school is located in an undeveloped campus in a mountain area with 70 students and five teachers. Its three classrooms and four dormitories are in dilapidated conditions, lacking basic teaching instruments and living materials.

For the past few months, MXA and the Micron Foundation built the entire supporting plan as part of the site’s community program. This one-year plan will provide Longquan Primary School with basic facility equipment and help underprivileged children enjoy better education. Specifically there will be computers setup, school uniforms and other donated materials. Prior to the visit, team members donated a variety of materials including books, stationeries, sport equipments, warm clothes and quilts suitable for children between the ages of 5 and 12.

Foundation, Idaho Stampede Spark a Passion for Mathematics with Stampede to Math Program

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:18:00 -0700

The Micron Foundation-sponsored Micron Stampede to Math program partners with the Idaho Stampede and local teachers to help spark a passion for mathematics. By combining a series of sports-related math challenges with the opportunity for prizes, including a private suite at a Stampede home game, the program is able to reach future STEM all-stars in new and fun ways.

During the Friday, April 5 home game, Micron Foundation Executive Director Dee Mooney presented a $1,000 check to challenge winner Eagle Middle School during halftime.

The Micron Foundation’s support of the Micron Stampede to Math program reflects its commitment to enrich our community and to spark a passion with local students, enabling teachers and students alike to enjoy critical mathematics lessons with a fresh, hands-on experience.

It’s a Great Time to Work in Storage

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:40:00 -0700

Flash is revolutionizing how we store data. It is the solution of choice for truly reliable portability in today’s popular smartphones and tablets, and it is gaining momentum as the “performance operator” in the data center. And these two applications are undeniably linked—as we demand more mobility and instant access, we need bigger, faster, and more efficient data centers to serve up the content.

It’s an exciting time for us. As a start-to-finish developer of solid state storage, Micron is in a unique position to capitalize on these exploding trends. More importantly though, the expertise and tenacity of our team members is what sets us apart. They are what makes the difference here at Micron. It’s their passion, knowledge and excitement that will take Micron to the next level. And we’re growing our team!

Watch the video below to see what our team members had to say. Ready to join us? You can browse current openings at micron.com/ssdjobs.

The HMC Consortium Sets a New Milestone

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:29:00 -0700

With the HMC Consortium’s first specification final and publicly available, the organization is meeting today to determine next steps for the 2013 working year. Basically, the group will be working on extending the SR PHY spec to reach a signaling rate up to 28 Gb/s and the ultra-short reach PHY to 15 Gb/s. The goal is to have a second-generation spec published by early 2014.

Beth Elroy Receives WCA TWIN Award

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 07:52:00 -0700

For her many contributions to the community and this industry, Micron Facilities Engineering and Construction Manager Beth Elroy was honored at the 20^th annual Tribute To Women In Industry (TWIN) Awards ceremony held recently in Boise.

Elroy is Micron’s first female construction manager, leading the recently completed state-of-the-art research and development facility (Building 50) and has served on the Governor’s Air Permitting Task Force, the Treasure Valley Air Quality Council and currently serves as a director on the Idaho Board of Environmental Quality.

In addition to her professional achievements, Elroy volunteers with Micron’s K-12 programs, teaches science lessons in area schools, provides students with job shadow opportunities and coaches youth sports.

“Being nominated for this award by Micron truly means a lot to me,” Elroy said. “The Women’s and Children’s Alliance’s vision is consistent with my personal values and I try to live those values through my relationships at work, in the community and through my friendships and home life. The WCA’s mission, fostering a community of safe, healthy relationships is important to me and I’m thankful for the Micron Foundation’s support of this organization.”

Elroy has been previously honored as one of The Idaho Business Review’s Women of the Year for 2012.

The Women’s and Children’s Alliance presents the TWIN Awards each year to those who have excelled in their fields and made significant contributions to industry in executive, managerial and professional roles and to those corporations whose policies and practices encourage high achievement by women.

The Micron Foundation was recognized this year for its continuing support of the TWIN awards during the last five years.

Micron Facilities and Construction Manager Beth Elroy

Science Bowl Winners Announced

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 07:54:00 -0700

Earlier this month more than 20 Micron team members volunteered at the first ever Western Idaho Regional Science Bowl (WIRSB), sharing their passion for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects with local students.

Sponsored and coordinated by the Micron Foundation, the WIRSB featured a full day of competition amongst 26 Western Idaho high school teams seeking to represent their state nationally. While there was only one winning team that will proceed to the national competition next month, we want to recognize all of the participating teams, including the following:

1st Place: Treasure Valley Math and Science Center - Boise
2nd Place: Centennial High School - Meridian
3rd Place: Victory Charter School - Nampa
Sportsmanship: Centennial High School
Consolation honors: Community School - Ketchum
Consolation honors: Nampa Christian School - Nampa
Consolation honors: Melba High School - Melba

By winning the Western Idaho Regional Science Bowl, the Treasure Valley Math and Science Center team will compete during April 25-29, 2013 at the National Science Bowl competition for high school students coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. In addition to an all-expenses paid trip to compete in Washington, D.C., the team will also experience several days of science activities and sightseeing.

On behalf of the Micron Foundation, we would like to thank every volunteer who contributed his or her time and expertise to the event. A total of 75 volunteers spanning 15 different companies and organizations participated, emphasizing the community-wide effort to make the Western Idaho Regional Science Bowl a success.

This level of participation and commitment shows how everyone benefits when we share a common passion of STEM, from student to volunteer. Opportunities like the Science Bowl show how we can engineer the future and enrich our community by giving back, and hopefully influence the next generation of innovators.

Winning members of the Treasure Valley Math and Science Center team

Optimizing High-speed, Embedded Memory Interface Designs

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:26:00 -0800

On March 4, ECN published an article that I wrote where I address considerations in high-speed bus designs for a healthy “data eye.” Read the full article below:

Optimizing High-speed, Embedded Memory Interface Designs

Designers of energy-efficient, high-speed memory subsystems for small form factor or power-sensitive embedded and wireless products are often making the shift from traditional DDR2/DDR3 to low power (LP) DDR2/DDR3 memory solutions. This is largely in response to the ever-challenging power reduction requirements, which reflect user system standby and wake-up time expectations.

The interface buses for these low-power memory devices need to operate reliably at data transfer rates approaching 2Gb/s in virtually any environment—regardless of temperature variations and EMI noise interactions. Consequently, the signal integrity of the so-called signal data eye must be as robust as possible. To ensure this, careful attention must be paid to PCB trace layout topology and stacking, as well as decoupling and impedance matching for LPDDR2/LPDDR3 interfaces with system-on-chip (SoC) processors.

Difficulties with interface designs are often magnified due to board size and shape constraints, along with time to market pressures, which can create significant topology validation challenges when implementing LPDDR2/LPDDR3. Extensive validation through simulation using DRAM and SoC supplier IBIS or HSpice models, along with detailed PCB signal trace parasitic model files, is no longer optional. Design simulation using these models must be completed and critically reviewed before PCB generation to avoid problems that could result in missing a product market window.

Designing a high-speed bus for LPDDR2/LPDDR3 encompasses all of the considerations listed below. Fortunately, some of these can be eliminated or simplified for typical embedded high-speed memory subsystems.

Critical design elements for improving signal integrity:

Basic signal trace properties

Total length
Effective length
Length to terminations
Min/max trace lengths for a group
Trace widths
Via counts, layer changes
Impedance matching
Single-ended impedances
Differential impedances
Neighbor spacing
Spacing to adjacent nets (broken down by region)
Serpentine spacing to self
Plane references
Signal reference plane
Plane split crossings
Distance to plane edge
Signal return paths
Decoupling capacitor values, type, and placement

Embedded and wireless DRAM designs are often simple point-to-point configurations with one SoC controller interfaced with one DRAM. This often results in worst-case bus signal trace lengths that are less than5cm. These relatively short bus trace lengths typically allow termination to be avoided altogether, at least for data transfer rates below~1Gb/s, depending on the actual signal trace topology. This is governed by the ratio of signal rise time to the transmission line propagation delay time. At higher data transfer rates, transmission line principles need to be applied when designing and performing the recommended signal integrity simulation and analysis on the interface buses.

With data rates increasing, signal trace length matching is a growing concern for DRAM designs. Closer matching of trace lengths will reduce signal edge skew or delay and help preserve margin within the overall bus timing budget. Trace length matching is most critical within signal groups such as data bus byte lanes (DQ0–7, DQ8–15, etc.). Since the bidirectional data strobe (DQSx) associated with each data byte lane of the data bus is also a critical element of the byte lane functionality, it should be included in a review for signal group trace length matching. Signal skew due to any trace length mismatch within a group will have a have a negative effect and reduce margin in the overall timing budget. Table 1 illustrates an example of signal skew time induced by trace length mismatches within byte lanes.

Table 1. Signal skew/delay within byte lanes

To some extent, serpentine signal trace patterns can be used to add a small amount of length to shorter traces and improve overall length matching within a signal group. However, as transfer rates approach 2Gb/s, the effects of self-coupling can come into play on the serpentine traces. Therefore, minimum spacing requirements between these features also may apply.

When routing many signals within a small space, some signal path layer changes are unavoidable. Each via used for this purpose adds a delay (as much as 20ps) to signal propagation. Therefore, this delay must be included when assessing the overall skew that the signals will experience relative to one another.

Many signal trace routing complications are reduced in cases where package-on-package (PoP) configurations can be used because DRAM bus trace routing through the PCB to the SoC is eliminated. This is typically a much cleaner environment from a signal integrity standpoint because the signal traces are much shorter and entirely contained within the package substrates of the SoC and DRAM PoP stack.

For higher-density memory solutions, point-to-multipoint bus configurations (one SoC memory controller interfaced to multiple DRAM components)are required. This generally results in longer signal trace lengths and transmission line stubs to the unselected products. For LPDDR3 devices, a new on-die termination (ODT)feature has been added to the DQ receiver design to permit better impedance matching during DRAM WRITE operations on the more complicated, multipoint topologies when operating at higher speeds. ODT can be dynamically engaged by the memory controller to better terminate the selected DRAM component data bus. Many SoC memory controllers also incorporate this in their DQ buffer designs for use during DRAM READ operations.

This option helps meet the ideal scenario of impedance matching:

R_ON= Z_O = Z_T *

Where,
R_ON is output impedance of the transmitter driver,
Z_O is the characteristic impedance of the trace transmission line as it travels through various layers of the system PCB,
Z_T is the termination impedance of the receiver (provided by ODT or termination resistors placed in the signal trace).
* In practice, R_ON is often set slightly lower than Z_O, and Z_T is often set lower than Z_O for power savings.

The LPDDR3 and SoC controller typically offer several values for R_ON and ODT for Z_T to accommodate this. Having the ODT feature available onboard the DRAM and SoC controller eliminates the space required and cost involved with placing discrete termination resistors on the PCB. Of course, any time termination is utilized for signal integrity optimization (provided by either ODT or discrete resistors), additional power consumption will be incurred.

The overall quality (or “health”) of the data eye diagram will depend on how much timing and voltage margin the bus interface signals have with respect to the DRAM and SoC product specifications. Some of these parameters are highlighted in the example signal eye diagram in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Anatomy of a terminated data eye

Signal integrity simulation and analysis tools are needed to verify that the data eyes for a proposed design are as robust as possible.

IBIS or HSpice models for the memory and SoC controller receiver/transmitters (available from the product suppliers)
BRD (or similar) model file exacted from the PCB layout
Simulation environment suitable for signal integrity analysis

Online bus simulators for first-order data eye evaluations(available from some suppliers)
Commercially available simulation tools for more detailed analysis

With earlier DDR SDRAM devices, the address and command buses were somewhat less critical than the data bus from a timing and signal integrity perspective. This is because on earlier DRAM products, these buses operated with a single data rate protocol, while the data bus operated at double data rate. To reduce signal count, LPDDR2/LPDDR3 products operate with a combined address and command bus running at double data rate. Therefore, these buses need to be designed more carefully from a signal integrity standpoint.

Taking these primary considerations into account when designing a high-speed memory interface will increase the probability of success with the first PCB revision. For more in-depth coverage of the considerations presented, refer to major memory and SoC supplier web sites for technical notes and data sheets, including http://www.micron.com/products/support/technical-notes.

A Fascinating Look at How Micron SSDs Are Made

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:43:00 -0800

Hard drives are giving way to SSDs, which are setting a new standard for storage in laptops, PCs, and other applications.

At Micron, we meticulously manufacture SSDs from the ground up. It all starts with our own Flash media. Every step of the process is handled in-house—from silicon wafers to Flash components, to building out PCBs, to assembling the finished product. We build our SSDs with high-tech precision in pristine cleanrooms, test them rigorously for quality and reliability, and then ship them to customers all over the world.

Get an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the intricate process involved in creating world-class SSDs.

Science Bowl Volunteers Needed!

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:54:00 -0800

On March 4, help us play a vital role in supporting high school students across Western Idaho compete for the opportunity to represent our state in the National Science Bowl. The Micron Foundation is sponsoring and coordinating the Western Idaho Regional Science Bowl (WIRSB), and is seeking volunteers who share its passion for enriching the community and engineering the future by helping students see the valuable role STEM plays in everyday life.

The WIRSB is an official regional bowl for the National Science Bowl competition for high school students coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. This marks the first time the Science Bowl has been split into two regional events, with Micron as leading sponsor and coordinator for the Western Idaho region. Winning teams from each regional science bowl will compete at the national level.

There are a number of volunteer opportunities available:

Scientific judges
Scorekeeper
Rules Judge
Timekeeper

Those interested in volunteering can learn more about the requirement of each of the above positions via the Department of Energy website. Competition volunteers will need to attend a training session (date and time to be announced). The Micron Foundation is also seeking general volunteers for registration and other logistical support as well as those who have worked with a Science Bowl or Quiz Bowl before as a quiz master.

Micron encourages team members to help support local STEM education efforts by volunteering their time and energy in events like the WIRSB. If you are interested in additional information about these opportunities, please contact Laurie Anderson. Team members who volunteer at the Science Bowl are eligible for K-12 TOP time, pending supervisor approval.

About the Western Idaho Regional Science Bowl

The WIRSB is an official regional bowl for the National Science Bowl competition for high school students, coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The winning WIRSB team will receive an all-expenses paid trip to compete at the national event held in Washington, D.C. during April 25-29, 2013. The national event also includes several days of science activities, sightseeing, and competitions.

Launched in 1991, the National Science Bowl (NSB) is a highly competitive science education and academic event among teams of high school and middle school students who compete in a fast-paced verbal forum to solve technical problems and answer questions in all branches of science and math. Each team is composed of four students, one alternate student, and a coach. Regional and national events encourage student involvement in math and science activities of importance to the Department of Energy and the Nation.

e•MMC—An Ideal Solution for Memory-Hungry Automotive Applications

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:38:00 -0800

Many car buyers today care more about the infotainment technologies embedded in the dashboard than what’s under the hood. Users want to be connected and have convenient access to their personal content anywhere, anytime, on all of their devices. Their vehicles become just another node in the network, an extension of the user’s digital and social lifestyle. A “connected” car is safer, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient, equipped with early access to important information such as weather reports, traffic jams, or road accidents.

A recent Gartner Research study¹ confirmed that electronics are playing a major role in the advancement of automotive technology. Electronic content in cars has been steadily increasing since the first digital engine control modules were introduced in the 1980s. This trend will accelerate as advances in semiconductor technology continue to drive down the cost of various electronic modules and subsystems. With 60% of new cars expected to be connected by 2017, this megatrend is driving an explosive growth in both volatile and nonvolatile memory. New memory solutions, specifically tailored for automotive infotainment systems, are needed to provide additional storage space for rich multimedia data and advanced software and applications. In fact, the automotive segment is anticipated to be the fastest-growing market for memory solutions, growing at 9% year-over-year from 2011 to 2015.

As the innovation cycle becomes shorter and shorter, designers need “drop-in” memory solutions that are not only easy to implement, but also can meet the rigorous automotive-grade certifications for temperature and reliability. The embedded multimedia card (e•MMC) device is an interesting option—it has all the features needed to support navigation and infotainment applications such as detailed 3D maps, traffic monitoring, meteorological information, car radio and multimedia, e-call, and voice recognition. As a standardized version of the managed NAND memory architecture, it is essentially a module based on a bank of nonvolatile NAND Flash devices, internally managed by an ad-hoc microcontroller. The primary advantage to the user is that an e•MMC memory is fully managed and independent from the NAND technology inside. e•MMC memory is backward-compatible and has a standard interface so that developers don’t have to bother with dedicated software to manage the complexity of NAND Flash.

In terms of quality and reliability, the power-loss protection of NAND is just the beginning. Special features have been incorporated into e•MMC architecture to meet automotive requirements—an enhanced package with dedicated test-pads for failure analysis, non-controller-based access to the NAND for memory-bank testing, and an extended temperature range of –40°C to +85°C.

Micron offers e•MMC in a wide range of densities, 4GB–64GB (roadmapped to 256GB), with an integrated 16-bit NAND controller for more robust management and memory optimization compared to discrete NAND devices. All of Micron's e•MMC devices are available in JEDEC-standard 100-ball, 1mm pitch and 153-ball/169-ball, 0.5mm pitch BGA packages, easing the design and validation process that is critical to the fast pace of product development in the automotive segment.

Micron has been a leading supplier of memory to the automotive industry for more than 20 years and has developed an in-depth understanding of the needs of the segment. Our newly opened lab in Munich, Germany is purely dedicated to automotive applications—stay tuned to see what cost-efficient, leading-edge products they develop!

¹Hype Cycle for Automotive Electronics 2012, James F. Hines, Gartner, October 4, 2012.

Other market data and stats included in this blog are estimates and evaluation by Micron, based on publicly available sources and internal intelligence.

Looking to Save Space in Your Ultrathin Design?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:08:00 -0800

Today’s ultrathins are all about being the sleekest, lightest, and highest-performance devices available—and we have the DRAM solutions to help you get there. Let’s look at how Micron’s new DRAM form factors reduce system height and saves valuable board space.

In an effort to further reduce z-height, a majority of ultrathin laptops have opted out of module form factors in favor of onboard DRAM. And while onboard DRAM is the best solution for z-height, modules bring an element of flexibility in terms of design, supply chain management, and upgradeability. To get the best of both of those worlds, Micron developed a new Single-Sided SODIMM. Single-Sided SODIMMs are a derivative of the widely used standard SODIMM, except the DRAM components, capacitors, and resisters are either on the front or back side of the module, not both. At 2.6mm, our Single-Sided SODIMM represents a 35% z-height savings compared to 4mm for a standard SODIMM.

Learn more about Single-Sided SODIMMs

NVDIMMs—The Best of Both Worlds

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:01:00 -0800

The NVDIMM is a new “hybrid” memory module that combines the speed of DRAM with the nonvolatility of NAND Flash. NVDIMMs enable the content in DRAM to be saved into the NAND Flash based on a signal from the system. This signal could indicate power failure or any other event when you’d want DRAM content to move into the NAND, such as system checkpoints, data logging, saving metadata, etc.

NVDIMMs provide performance, cost, and data-security advantages for enterprise-class server and storage applications. They’re a spot-on solution for environments that need persistent DRAM capability for frequent access to big data.

AT SC12, Micron demonstrated the first version of our NVDIMM, a 4GB RDIMM with 8GB of Flash. We partnered with AgigA Techto supply the ultracap power source that backs up the DRAM in case of a power failure.

Check out our NVDIMM technology page to find out more about how NVDIMMs bridge the gap between DRAM and SSDs.

Using SSDs to Accelerate Virtual Environments – A Risk-Free Trial

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:04:00 -0800

What’s the most logical method to extend support of virtual server platforms and VMWare usage models with SSD storage? Software solutions that make the most of the existing infrastructure while adding the least number of complications.

Micron is always on the lookout for great ways to help customers enable NAND-based SSDs in existing platforms. While there are a lot of different Flash caching programs out there, Micron chose to partner with award-winning Proximal Data because their AutoCache™ solution and support seemed like the best choice for working with VMWare.

The creative management schemes embedded in the AutoCache product make the most of existing solutions. It’s also easy: Autocache is provided on a free trial basis, and Proximal Data has offered to directly loan customers a Micron SSD to test and implement this innovative solution in a very efficient and pain-free way. Customers have already begun taking advantage of this program with successful transition from existing HW solutions to a Micron-Proximal Data package.

Partnerships like the one we have with Proximal Data are going to continue to drive innovation and acceptance of SSDs and Flash-based storage solutions in the years to come—stay tuned as we work with our customers to develop a case study on our AutoCache alliance.

Learn more about Proximal Data's sample program.

Stay in the loop on our case studies and future SSD partner programs—register on micron.com for updates or contact us at ssd@micron.com.

Great Tasting and Less Filling?

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 07:00:00 -0800

Our new P400m Enterprise SSD delivers. Performance? Got it. Endurance? Yup, got it (up to 7PBs worth). Reliability? Sure.

But all at a great price point for the mainstream Enterprise space? Yeah…we’ve got that one too.

Thanks to a combined effort between our NAND and SSD teams, we built the P400m from the ground up—from silicon to fully tested and qualified product. And we designed it with features that set it apart. Features like RAIN, DataSAFE, and ReCAL are part of our new XPERT suite of enhancements—all designed in-house to boost the performance and reliability of enterprise SSDs.

Check out our XPERT Tech Brief to learn how our eXtended Performance and Enhanced Reliability Technology (XPERT) feature set extends performance, enhances drive (and data!) reliability, and gives us the design flexibility to make SSDs that meet exact application requirements.

Introducing the P400m SSD—Customized for the Enterprise

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 07:00:00 -0800

You may have heard that our new P400m enterprise SSD provides workhorse performance and endurance at a competitive price point for data center applications. And, you may be wondering how? The answer is in the custom, onboard MLC NAND Flash. While some enterprise drives offer just one to three drive fills per day, the P400m SSD offers 10 drive fills per day for an entire five-year lifetime. Not satisfied yet? The P400m has a five-year warranty and has already been validated by several OEMs. Watch a brief introduction to this product in the video below.

"Paying Our Dues" Paid off with PCM

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 07:00:00 -0800

“I commend Micron for being able to put silicon down and show volume production of PCM. This blows naysayers away—of which I was one—and shows that the technology can work. It also drives home the lesson that you must pay your dues in terms of development and production time—including the ability to work around a variety of issues like thermal disturb—to achieve a good, production-ready, innovative design.”

- Alan Niebel, CEO of Web-Feet Research

In December, we announced our second phase change memory (PCM) product, a 512Mb part made with our proprietary 45nm PCM technology, and confirmed we’re shipping high volumes of our first PCM product, the 1Gb part, to Nokia.

It doesn’t happen very often that a radically new technology starts to play a significant role in the highly competitive memory field. The last time that happened was the introduction of NAND Flash more than 10 years ago, and 10 years prior to that, the introduction of NOR Flash.

Web-Feet Research CEO Alan Nieble, who definitely has a long experience with and deep understanding of memory, especially nonvolatile memory, has recognized that we are at an inflection point in the history of long-awaited emerging technologies. He commended Micron for making it happen with PCM.

But Alan has captured an important point—it is always true that “you must pay your dues in terms of development and production time,” even when progressing from one node to the next node on a memory roadmap. But when it’s time to move from an evolutionary innovation to a revolutionary innovation, the dues are far higher.

It’s radical change of paradigm. As far as discontinuity, the distance of PCM from any conventional nonvolatile memory is orders of magnitude larger than, for instance, the gap between NOR Flash and NAND Flash, or between planar NAND and 3D NAND.

For more than 40 years, engineers and designers have been playing with electronic devices, charge storage, potential barriers, electric fields, and electrical capacitances. The 10 years Micron has spent on phase change memory was invested in learning how to work with thermal devices, phase transition, latent heat, heat diffusion, and thermal capacitances. We basically had to change our mindset—from electronic engineering to phonon engineering.

And…we made it!

That we can now produce PCM in high volumes, with industry-standard yield, high performance, and high reliability, is thanks to the huge effort and the long hours our engineers spent digging into material properties, physical mechanisms, and process details to build a solid understanding that could be translated into design and manufacturing skills.

You are perfectly right, Alan—we had to pay our own dues! But we’re proud that we reached the finish line first.

Dean’s List – Observations from CES 2013

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:02:00 -0800

3,100 exhibitors, 150,000 attendees and 100 breakfast-buffet options. What could it be but the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, an event that surely must be the bane of every stiletto-heeled exhibitor and the boon of podiatrists worldwide? Last week I attended two days of this annual electronics mega-festival and had some time between meetings to catch the spirit of the event and take a peek at some of the promised technology. My feet may never be the same.

First general impression: this show was massive. In two days I could not really do it justice, so I focused on the Las Vegas Convention Center and nearby exhibits. The show was packed. There were many times when I felt more like a part of a herd than a hunter (a technology hunter, that is!). There were a few duds. Among all the rows and crowded booths I occasionally ran across a nearly empty booth. The USB Techzone was an entire area dedicated to no-shows, I guess.

Some of the technologies that caught my eye were OLED displays, 4K and 8K displays, Nvidia and Qualcomm processors and action cameras. Let me explain.

OLED displays. Organic light-emitting-diodes have been the hot, upcoming, display technology for at least three years at CES. This year there were 55” production units on display, and they were pretty impressive. (And pretty!) The colors are really rich on these displays. The screens can also be very thin, in part because they don’t need a backlight. Also very interesting were curved displays from at least three vendors. This works for OLEDs because the manufacturing process doesn’t need to have a flat substrate like a normal LCD panel. I can’t say that the curved displays are really that practical for TV applications, but for mobile applications these could be interesting. Certainly one of the more promising features of a curved OLED is that it might also be flexible, thus ending the era of cracked displays on dropped cell phones.
4K and 8K displays. Yes, you just upgraded your home TV to a 1080p high-definition beauty. Yes, you’ve upgraded your DVD player to a Blu-Ray® player so you can watch your favorite movies in high-definition glory. Yes, you are now officially out-of-date. 4K and 8K are the new ultra-high-definition TV standards that are going to try and get you to open your pocketbook and upgrade your TV again. These screens are truly impressive, and the detail is amazing. A 4K display has twice the resolution in each direction as your 1080p HD display. Correspondingly, an 8K display doubles each of these again. However, when looking at the Sony implementation, I noticed something very distracting. The content they were displaying had a very narrow depth-of-focus, which made most of the image deliberately out-of-focus—which seemed a bit counterproductive!

One implication for us is that with increased resolution comes a need for increased memory. The 4K display itself will require 4X the internal memory of today’s 1080p HD display. The 8K display will require 16X the memory of today’s 1080p display. Of course, the rest of the system that delivers content to these ultra HD displays needs more memory, too. How much? Probably about 40% more for 4K, because compression standards have improved. Going from 4K to 8K should be a bigger jump. Speaking of Blu-Ray…
Blu-Ray MIA. OK, I’ll admit it: I’ve never been a huge fan of Blu-Ray. Discs get scratched, smudged and cracked. Give me solid-state storage or streaming delivery! For three years now, I have watched portable and automotive disc players for any sign of Blu-Ray. This year even Sony admitted that their future is in content delivery from cell phones or tablets. Score one for NAND!
Application processors. Big and busy. That would describe the booths of Qualcomm and Nvidia. Qualcomm had just released their Snapdragon™ 800 app processor for tablets and cell phones, and it was generating quite a buzz. I don’t recall ever seeing so many people lined up to see a CES silicon demo where there wasn’t some freebie being given away. Nvidia was also showing some of their applications in the automotive arena, where touchscreens are replacing mechanical knobs and dials for dashboard applications.

But back in the Qualcomm booth, tucked away to the side, was a small area dedicated to showing off some of the projects of Qualcomm Labs, an advanced development team bringing cutting-edge technology to market. In past years, this has always been a secret treasure trove, so I make it a point to see what they are cooking up. This year it was shades of George Orwell, with their creation of a software development tool for applications that gives the application all sorts of context information. This context information can be gleaned from the user’s email, text messages, location, numbers dialed, and the like. This is, of course, not unlike what Google does, and as you might predict, the 20-something-year-old whippersnapper describing this to me saw nothing wrong with it. I guess I am truly from another generation.
Action cameras. One of the busiest booths I saw at the show was the GoPro booth. GoPro makes wearable, waterproof, high-definition sports cameras and accessories. But it wasn’t just GoPro that was busy. Some of their competitors were doing quite well, too. And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, GoPro must indeed be feeling flattered.
USB Flipperizer™. In the category of “Duh—why didn’t I think of that?” was the USB Flipperizer. This little gadget is a connector that you can plug onto your favorite USB widget, which then allows you to plug into your computer or other USB port either way. That’s right. There is now no right-side-up or -down. As a stand-alone product, it really is about as cheesy as its name, but interesting, anyway…

There really is so much I could continue on with, but let me leave you with a few closing thoughts. First, consumer electronics are alive and well. There is no shortage of innovation in this space, and it is these innovative devices that are enticing people worldwide to open their wallets and part with their euros, drachmas and dollars. Based on this show, it sure seems that the global economy is going to do just fine. Second, our digitization is complete, and it is demanding. Film and analog TV have long since been dead, but what we are seeing now is the explosion of precision digital data. Higher-resolution TVs, knob-free dashboards on self-driving cars, higher-resolution and faster-frame-rate sports cameras, context-aware applications—all of these are just the tip of the iceberg on top of the hidden mountain of digital data that makes it all happen. In the memory world, we can all sleep easier knowing that the demand for memory to move, manipulate, manage, and store this mountain of data is continuing to grow faster than we can imagine.

Transforming the Ultrathin Experience, Part 1

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:26:00 -0800

How do SSDs help your ultrathin be even more ultra-mobile? Two ways: form factor and power savings.

In today’s era of portability, the days of lugging an 8 or 10lb laptop through the airport are over. SSDs come in slim, caseless, and lightweight form factors that take up less space, enabling even sleeker ultrathin designs. Our mSATA SSDs measure in at about one-third the size of a credit card, while our incredibly small M500 M.2 form factor is about the size of a stick of gum!

Speaking of batteries, SSDs also use significantly less power than hard drives, freeing you from being tethered to an outlet for frequent recharging.

Learn how Micron SSDs optimize ultrathins and watch our video, “Rock Solid—Solid State Drives for Ultrathins.”

M500 M.2 SSD – The Secret is Out

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 13:29:00 -0800

Until now, SSDs have been limited to the same form factors as HDDs—but not for long. This spring, our M500 SSD will be available in the ultra-compact M.2 form factor, which is the size of a stick of gum. Built using our 20nm MLC NAND Flash, the M500 M.2 is offered in high capacities from 120–480GB. It also delivers strong performance, like fast boot and application load times and almost instant wake from sleep.

We’re doing everything in our power to deliver an ideal solution for next-generation ultrathin computers and Ultrabook™ devices. See for yourself in this M500 M.2 preview.

DDR3L-RS: Reducing DRAM Power Consumption in Standby

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:55:00 -0800

Standby power savings are becoming increasingly important as computing devices continue to shrink leaving less room for large batteries, and come loaded with advanced features such as instant-on and Microsoft’s Connected Standby. DDR3L-RS (formerly referred to as DDR3Lm) is the first mainstream PC DRAM with a focus on reducing IDD6, doing so by cutting in half the self refresh rate at room temperature (standby conditions) and by selecting lower IDD6 devices. First, TCSR (Temperature Compensated Self Refresh) is enabled at 45C which reduces the self-refresh rate from 1x to 1/2x rate. Secondly, the devices are screened and sorted by the IDD6 value through a proprietary screening process and the lower IDD6 devices are classified as DDR3L-RS.

So—what does that mean? Well, for a 4GB system running the DDR3L-RS devices, the power is 37.6mW typical at 25C which means that the DDR3L-RS can provide up to 40% longer battery life in the standby condition depending on usage case as compared to standard commodity DRAM. That’s huge. These devices are fully backward compatible to DDR3, allowing system architects to design power-optimized computing devices cost effectively without compromising performance or reliability. And because of this backward compatibility, DDR3L-RS is supported by all of the major enablers that currently support DDR3L today. It’s quickly becoming the memory of choice for the ultrathin computing category, including Intel Ultrabooks and ultrathin laptops, convertibles and tablets—across most operating systems including Windows, Windows RT, Android and more.

Improving Ultrathin Boot Performance with Quad I/O

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:53:00 -0800

In today’s fast-paced world, consumers need faster system boot times in their ultrathin devices. But other advanced system features, like security, can interfere with boot-time performance targets, posing a challenge to ultrathin designers. The new quad I/O feature in Micron’s N25Q SPI NOR Flash memory can help. N25Q SPI NOR is the first in the market to support quad I/O mode at a 108 MHz clock rate, reaching read transfer rates up to 54 MB/s and improving read bandwidth up to 85% compared to single I/O reads at 50 MHz.

Implementing the N25Q quad I/O feature of x1 instruction/ x4 address/x4 data is easy—designers simply issue the quad I/O commands (such as EBh opcode)—you don’t even need to configure the device. Our advanced N25Q device also supports basic functionality such as single or dual I/O reads, allowing systems to do slower read operations according the needs of the ultrathin application.

Available in 32Mb, 64Mb, 128Mb, and up to 1Gb densities, quad I/O-equipped N25Q SPI NOR is quickly becoming the technology of choice for the ultrathin market, including Intel Ultrabooks™ and AMD ultrathin laptops.

Gaming Goes Mobile—with Micron Memory Onboard

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800

With the proliferation of mobile devices, gaming has broken its tether to the living room and is now enjoyed everywhere. In fact, according to the latest study from the NPD market research group, 59% of total game play is done on a mobile device. Market research firm Mintel found that 38% of tablet gamers and 20% of mobile phone gamers are playing five or more hours per week. Gaming is clearly a trend that is here to stay.

Additionally, gaming graphics continue to become more detailed, life-like and real-time, requiring high-end graphics cards, lightning-fast CPUs, and large amounts of memory to access frequently used information or programs.

Made for One Another: SSDs and Ultrathins

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 12:48:00 -0800

As the landscape of personal and mobile computing continues to intersect, our storage devices are becoming smaller and lighter while boosting system performance and adding features.

Ultrathin notebooks are a new breed of mobile devices that boast the portability of a tablet and the power of a laptop. The broad range of the target market, from business people to college students and even children, means that ”the inside” needs to be tough, versatile, and can’t compromise on speed. SSDs have several of these traits and others that make them ideal for ultrathins:

Performance – Because SSDs don’t have any mechanical moving parts to slow things down, they respond at the push of a button, providing instant-on responsiveness and nearly instantaneous application load times.
Battery Life – SSDs require less power to operate, which helps extend battery life.
Rock Solid – Thanks to their simple design, SSDs are rugged, reliable, and resistant to the common drops, bumps, falls, shocks, temperature swings, and vibrations that are inevitable with daily use.
Portability – Smaller and lighter than HDDs, SSDs are designed with mobility in mind.
Peace and Quiet – With no noisy spinning parts, SSDs are silent.

The Ultrathin class of devices is still in its infancy, yet growing rapidly. As the market progresses to undoubtedly lighter and sleeker machines, Micron will continue to meet the demand with industry-leading SSD solutions.


Discover how an ultrathin notebook with a solid state drive can transform the way you work.	Lobbying for a new computer? Don't forget the solid state drive (SSD). SSDs replace hard drives (storing all your files) and make computers faster, lighter, and more power-efficient.

Helping Children in Need During the Holidays

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:16:00 -0800

Through the Un-Trim a Tree program, Micron team members in Manassas, Virginia, purchased gifts for 100 children in need this holiday season. The Volunteer Prince William's Un-Trim a Tree program serves more than 2,500 students in the area, ensuring that they will have something under the tree to open on Christmas morning.

Micron Team Members in Singapore Bowl to Support Special Olympics

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:14:00 -0800

Eight Micron team members in Singapore participated in a Special Olympics charity bowling event on Dec. 1 to raise funds for Special Olympics activities and programs. The Micron team members partnered with Special Olympics athletes across multiple teams, with teams hitting at least one turkey (three consecutive strikes) each.

Micron Sites in Italy Support Children, Disadvantaged

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:12:00 -0800

Micron’s sites in Italy launched multiple initiatives with Micron Foundation support to sustain educational and charitable programs for children and disadvantaged people. Along with the setup support of a rehabilitation center near Catania for children affected by deep deafness, two projects in Catania and Arzano were launched with social services to organize afterschool services and donate school books to poor and deprived families to help prevent student dropouts. Additionally, approximately 260 computers were donated to more than 10 schools and charitable associations around Agrate.

Making a Difference in Folsom

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:10:00 -0800

Micron team members in Folsom coordinated a diverse range of charitable efforts that benefited the local community and hundreds of families in need throughout the year. Efforts included the donation of animal supplies to The Grace Foundation, answering phones during a KVIE television broadcast, serving water to thousands of California International Marathon runners, walking in the Susan G. Komen race for a cure, feeding the hungry, supplying school supplies to children in need, and making the holidays brighter with cards for local seniors and toys for children in need in addition to other charitable pursuits.

Micron Team Members Raise Money for East Kilbride Charities

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:06:00 -0800

Micron team members in East Kilbride recently organized and hosted a Christmas Fare that will be remembered by participants and benefiting charities for years to come. The team members raised £847.50 in just a few hours time for local charities with the Fare.

DDR4 Gathers Momentum

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:18:00 -0800

Back in May 2012, we announced our first fully functional DDR4 module. Since then a lot has happened.

For starters, our DDR4 modules were selected as one of the year’s most compelling products by EDN.

And there’s more. Since the JEDEC DDR4 standard was published on September 25, 2012, we’ve been actively engaged in supporting educational and outreach activities for the new standard, including presenting at ongoing workshops in Santa Clara and Taiwan where participants learn about DDR4’s device operation, migration issues, and numerous features that address reliability, speed, power, and stacking capabilities.

One slick new feature of the DDR4 standard is the inclusion of Connectivity Test (I.e. boundary scan) for memory down applications. Connectivity Test (a type of JTAG) enhances device and/or module manufacturing testing by enabling early fault detection, which reduces time spent on debugging, improving system reliability, and ultimately saving development and production costs.

For more information on this DDR4 capability, compare DDR3 to DDR4.

So what’s next? More DDR4 information—including Verilog models, IBIS models, data sheets, Power Calculators, etc.—coming to micron.com in January.

Caring for Our Community: Micron Foundation Supports Community Partners

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:52:00 -0800

Reflecting the spirit of the holiday season and its commitment to enriching our communities, the Micron Foundation participated in KTVB's Cares Day on Saturday, Dec. 8.

During the event, Micron Foundation Executive Director Dee Mooney presented the Salvation Army, Idaho Foodbank and Boise Rescue Mission with a $5,000 gift each to help them address the variety of and growing needs facing the Treasure Valley community.

Idaho Foodbank’s Karen Vauk, Boise Rescue Mission’s Rev. Bill Roscoe, and Salvation Army’s Captain John Stennett receive holiday donations from the Micron Foundation during KTVB’s Cares Day. Photo courtesy of the Idaho Foodbank.

Let the Games Begin: FIRST Robotics Demo at Idaho Stampede, Dec. 8

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:50:00 -0800

The Idaho Stampede opens up their season against the Austin Toros from Texas this coming weekend. As part of the Idaho Stampede’s community outreach efforts, FIRST Robotics teams from the Treasure Valley have been invited to demonstrate their robots during the half-time performance.

Each year, the Micron Foundation sponsors FIRST Robotics teams in Idaho and Virginia as part of its mission to engineer the future for students with programs that help them see how science, technology, engineering and math play a critical role in everyday life.

Enjoy the basketball game and watch the robots in action!

The Mountain View High School "Bullbots" team participate in the
2012 FIRST® Robotics regional competition in Utah.

Look Out Laptops; Ultrathins are Moving In

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:43:00 -0800

The brutal fight to stay relevant in the rapidly changing client computing market spurred CPU vendors and computer OEMs to rethink their approach to personal computing. They went back to the drawing board and began defining new form factors, energy-efficient processors and systems, and touch displays.

The Intel-inspired Ultrabook™ devices are breaking new ground for powerful, sleek, power-efficient ultrathin laptops. ARM vendors, who traditionally played only in the mobile segment, have made tremendous leaps forward in enabling new ultrathin products with their ability to run Windows RT™. The result is a host of ultrathins, convertibles, and tablets (Ultrabook or non-Ultrabook) with detachable keyboards and docks that are transforming traditional laptop content extraction devices into ultrathin content creation devices.

With global tablet shipments expected to nearly double between now and 2015 and 25% of all laptop users projected to be using an ultrathin device within that same time frame, it’s clear that consumers are ready for something that maximizes mobility and portability without compromising performance. They’re ready for something ultrathin.

Find out how Micron is helping to deliver the ultimate ultrathin experience.

SC12: Dean's List

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 12:39:00 -0800

Just back from SC12, the huge show highlighting huge computers capable of tackling huge problems while ringing up huge power bills. There, you have the highlights in a nutshell! :) Compared to shows like the Consumer Electronics Show, SC12 isn’t really that big. But the event filled up most of Salt Lake City’s “Salt Palace” convention center which showed that “Big Iron” scientific computing is alive and well and definitely has a lot of interest. The show featured numerous speakers (including our own Todd Farrell), discussion forums and a huge exhibition floor. I spent some time on the exhibition floor and came away with these observations:

Memory is still a hot topic for HPC (High Performance Computing). There was, as always, a lot of hardware on display at the show. The importance of memory could easily be seen in the makeup of the hardware. On most systems the CPU was easily identified, and for each CPU chip on the board there was a corresponding set of DIMM modules loaded up with memory. In most cases there were 8 DIMM modules per CPU and in all cases the modules were buffered modules. In the presentations and in talking with engineers, the topics of memory density and energy are still most concerning. Below are a couple pictures of some of the systems.


Figure 1: AMD CPU with Micron memory	Figure 2: Fujitsu with Micron memory

GPU’s are hot. There was a new Top500 list released on Monday at SC12. The reigning Top500 machine, Lawrence Livermore’s IBM BlueGene-Q “Sequoia” was dethroned by the newly-upgraded Oak Ridge National Labs “Titan” Supercomputer. Titan is a Cray XK7 and features more than 260,000 Nvidia Kepler GPU accelerators for a total of over 560,000 processors. Thank goodness they can draw power from the Tennessee Valley Authority! Titan’s new speed record was 16.6 Petaflops, which means a little under 17 million billion floating point operations per second. A big number.
Intel is taking HPC seriously. Cray, a longtime AMD fan, was showing off a new machine based on Intel Xeon E5 processors. I queried them about deployment of the new hardware and they told me to wait and see. But besides having replaced AMD, there were other signs of Intel’s interest in this space. There are now two Intel Xeon E5-based systems on the Top500 list. The new number 7 is perhaps the most interesting as it is made up of Dell PowerEdge servers with the hot new Intel Xeon Phi accelerator boards installed. Xeon Phi isn’t really a typical CPU in the Intel family of CPU’s. This is the chip formerly known as MIC (Many Intel Core) or alternatively as Knight’s Corner. This chip is a peripheral to a server CPU and incorporates 60 X86 processor cores and support circuitry. Oh yes, these chips have a set of memory controllers, too. You might view the Xeon Phi as Intel’s answer to the GPU: A peripheral to the main CPU that is good for crunching numbers. But perhaps Phi is good for other things as well. For this we’ll have to wait and see. Below is a picture of Cray’s new board with Intel Xeon E5 processors.

Figure 3

AMD is suffering in HPC (see Figure #3). AMD has been a longtime favorite of the supercomputing community. AMD was first to address the “memory wall” when they introduced processors with memory controllers built in. With Hyperchannel, AMD had a solution to allow scaling to greater numbers of CPU chips in a system. For supercomputers that needed epic amounts of address space, AMD was first with a 64-bit instruction set. If “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” (credit: Charles Colton), AMD must be truly flattered. Well, now it appears they are about to be flattened. With the Intel juggernaut focused on this space AMD will find the going to get tougher. Hot off the press: AMD is apparently shopping around for a buyer. Not a good sign.
But, watch this space. ARM is coming! Here’s the wild card. Could it be that Intel’s reign in supercomputers will ultimately be threatened by the lowly CPU core that has made smartphone smart? It’s no secret that some of the biggest names in servers are fielding “micro-servers” based on ARM CPU technology. So far, these systems have used 32-bit ARM cores, which severely limits the upward mobility of these servers. ARM has now introduced their 64-bit IP cores and that means 64-bit server-capable chips won’t be far behind. One of the major (but little) players in ARM-base server chips is Calxeda, who is one of the companies working fast and furious to bring 64-bit ARM to the server masses. ARM is attractive in this space due to the same reason it was a winner in cell phones: Energy. Low energy is very important in the supercomputer and server space. Energy is a major component of the total cost of ownership for these machines. Consider that a large datacenter can consume upwards of 20MW per year, and each MW can cost over $1M and you can see why energy matters.

Some final thoughts:

I like GPU’s as much as anyone, but frankly, I’m concerned with the results I see. Sure, the GPU-equipped Titan offers impressive performance, but it does so with increased energy consumption. If we look at the performance gain over the previous #1 (Lawrence Livermore’s “Sequoia”), the gain is less than 8% in performance at a 4% increase in power consumption. Clearly this is not a trajectory that’s going to get us to a viable Exascale-class supercomputer with a viable energy bill. Exascale machines are supposed to be capable of a billion-billion floating point operations per second with a power consumption of under 20MW. We need bigger improvements in performance and power. One additional concern on GPUs: Not a single GPU-based system showed up on the Graph500 list. What does this mean? Many experts consider the Graph500 benchmark to be more representative of most real-life applications. The Top500 benchmark is Linpack, which is very floating-point intensive. What type of system do you want to run your datacenter? Unless you’re computing fluid dynamics, climate simulations or protecting a nuclear stockpile you might want to go for the Graph machine. Of course, this does make me wonder about the pursuit of Exascale floating-point performance…

If you looked carefully you would see that many of the Intel-based supercomputers use Intel’s Xeon E5 instead of the Xeon E7 processors. The E7 is the higher performance part, Intel’s flagship CPU, yet these machines are using E5 processors. I asked two different companies why their systems didn’t use the E7 and I received the same answer from both: price. So while performance is paramount in these systems, price is more important. How much of a price delta are we talking about here? Intel publishes the single-unit list price of their processors and if I compare a Xeon E7-8860 to a Xeon E5-4610 I see list prices of $4016 and $1219, respectively. (Other part numbers can have larger or smaller deltas.) Maybe there’s something more subtle here than what we see in just the price. The lower-rated E5 processor actually has higher CPU-CPU bandwidth than the E7. Both CPU’s can control over 1TB of memory, but the memory frequency (and thus bandwidth) is 25% faster for the E5. I’ll leave you with this closing thought: It’s about the memory. :)

Dean

Micron Team Members Donate Turkeys & Hams to Idaho Families

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:29:00 -0800

In a Micron tradition that goes back for decades, team members recently donated 672 turkeys and 282 hams to families through The Idaho Foodbank. Since 2001, the donations have totaled to more than 19,000 turkeys and hams for Idaho families.

“During the holidays, it's a great time for Micron and our team members to give something back to the community especially during these challenging economic times,” said Dee Mooney, Executive Director of the Micron Foundation. “Today’s ham and turkey donation by our team members to The Idaho Foodbank is one of our favorite traditions to enrich the community.”

Micron Donates $30,000 for Wounded Warriors

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:04:00 -0800

Earlier this year, Manassas team members selected the Wounded Warrior Project with an annual fundraising goal of $9,000. On Veterans Day, the team presented $30,000 to the project to help raise awareness and enlist aid for the needs of injured service members. Manassas team members were both dedicated and creative in their fundraising efforts, hosting several bake sales, an iPad raffle at its 10-year celebration and a 50/50 raffle at the golf tournament in June. Additionally, the Manassas team worked with a local concert venue to earn money for the cause by volunteering team member time to work concessions.

These fundraising efforts combined with $4,000 from the Micron Foundation and the $1,000 from the site brought the total to $30,000 to support the Wounded Warrior Project.

Micron Volunteers Help Rake Up Boise

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:01:00 -0800

Micron encourages team members to enrich our community by volunteering time, energy and resources. The Micron Foundation is pleased to announce that more than 60 Micron team members, families and friends volunteered their time on Saturday, Nov. 10 in the Rake Up Boise event. The Micron volunteers raked and bagged more than 115 bags of leaves to assist the senior and disabled residents.

Engineering the Future: Micron Foundation Invests in NNU Engineering Program

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:54:00 -0800

The Micron Foundation awarded Northwest Nazarene University a $200,000 grant to assist the University’s new bachelor of science in engineering program. This will directly support the engineering program’s pursuit of accreditation upon its first graduating class in 2014.

Dee Mooney, executive director, Micron Foundation stated, “The Micron Foundation supports NNU’s efforts to strengthen its engineering program which supports the State of Idaho’s goal of boosting education in science, technology, engineering and math.”

Read the press release to learn more about the Micron Foundation’s investment in engineering at NNU.


Dr. Stephen Parke mentors the next generation of science and technology leaders in the NNU engineering lab.

Enabling Business Application Acceleration—Without Changing Existing Software of Data Storage

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:01:00 -0800

Recently Micron chose to work with a few select organizations to support SSD enablement in the market. While doing due diligence and research to ensure the best support possible for our customers and their needs, we were able to find a great partner in the SSD caching software market through Velobit. Velobit recently launched a campaign to support customers with a trial of their software and loaned them a Micron SSD to test, as well. When Micron and Velobit began discussions, it was very much a case where like-minded individuals just hit it off. The goal of both companies is supporting customers with the right products for the right solutions.

Together with Velobit, we decided that it doesn’t make good business sense to have customers go unguided into purchasing a product that may or may not fit their needs, and then forcing them through the hassle and expense of returning it. To encourage the development of more SSD-based storage systems, we thought it seemed logical to implement a “try before you buy” program. Not just a no-hassle return policy, but the complete customer support needed to choose the right solution in the first place—from the NAND media itself all the way to the software. So you can get the combination of the right software from Velobit and the right SSD from Micron on a risk-free trial basis.

At the end of the day, there is more need than ever to ensure proper support, whether through the right software in Velobit, or the correct SSD from Micron (P300 SLC mainstream SSD, P400e MLC enhanced entry-level SSD, or P320h PCIe extreme performance SSD). This new relationship provides customers everything they need to ensure their SSD needs are truly satisfied. To learn more about our SSD enablement activities, please contact us at SSD@micron.com.

PCIe high speed, low latency and easy service? Can you really have it all?

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:37:00 -0700

PCI Express performance in an Enterprise-class SSD and the serviceability of front of system hot swap as easy as SAS or SATA? Yup—with the Micron RealSSD P320h 2.5-inch SSD, you get both.

Supporting both 175GB and 350GB capacities, the P320h is design to comply with the standard 2.5-inch PCI Express form factor, connector, and behavior specifications developed by the SSD Form Factor Working Group. This game-changing design offers scalability, easy service, portability, and performance in a compact, standards-based design.

Offered in many Dell systems (like the R720 and R820), the P320h is easy to setup, easy to use, and easy to service.

Learn more about the P320h 2.5-inch PCIe SSD

Server Performance Transformed

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:03:00 -0700

The I/O bottleneck is one of the biggest limitations of network performance in the enterprise industry today. To alleviate this bottleneck for their servers, Dell looked to Micron’s SSDs as a way to take advantage of the faster PCIe interface. Our collaboration resulted in the Micron P320h 2.5-inch PCIe SSD (or as Dell calls it, the PowerEdge^TM PCIe Express Flash SSD).

This SSD is unique because it takes advantage of the fast PCIe interface while at the same time overcoming the fundamental limitations of serviceability. IT providers using typical PCIe SSDs have to power down their systems and physically take apart the server to upgrade the storage. With the Micron P320h 2.5-Inch PCIe SSD, the drive can be hot-plugged into the server, just like a SATA drive, without any server downtime.

This drive is an example of the groundbreaking results that are possible when two industry leaders on the front edge of innovation work together to develop solutions that meet real market needs.

Micron’s Ed Doller and Dell’s Brian Payne talk about this new enterprise technology and how the two companies’ collaboration is transforming server performance. View the video and visit our P320 2.5-Inch PCIe SSD page for more information.

44 Terabytes in a Pizza Box?

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:03:00 -0700

We recently announced the integration of our 20nm NAND Flash storage components into Skyera’s high-endurance, high-capacity Skyhawk enterprise solid state storage system. We talked to Skyera’s CEO, Radoslav Danilak, about the impact that high-performance, high-capacity NAND Flash can have on the mainstream enterprise market and the critical role that a collaborative effort with a storage developer like Micron can play in the successful launch of an enterprise storage system. Watch the video and visit our MLC NAND page to view our part catalog.