What do you consider “ultrathin”?
We use the term ultrathin broadly in describing computing devices that have an extremely portable form factor, are lightweight, and have a long battery life. These include laptops, tablets, and Intel Ultrabook devices.
What is Micron’s offering for the ultrathin market?
Micron’s portfolio includes every type of memory required by ultrathins, including the award-winning C400 mSATA SSD, the only reduced-standby DDR3L-RS validated by Intel, and the most advanced NOR packaging technology.
- Ultra-fast, reliable, low-power mSATA SSD:
- Caseless form factor for slimmer, innovative end designs
- Lower power consumption for longer battery life
- Incredible read and write speeds for faster system boot, application and file loads, and data transfer
- Rugged design with no moving parts for increased reliability
- Industry’s most complete DRAM portfolio:
- DDR3L-RS with standby power balances battery life and cost
- Ultra-low-power LPDDR3 supports the most demanding portable computing devices
- High-density packages increase system density and reduce required board space
- DDR4-RS for maximum performance at lower power levels
- Serial NOR:
- Advanced packaging technology allows for slimmer end designs
- Quad I/O for faster system boot
Where can I find more information on Micron’s product portfolio for ultrathin?
Visit micron.com/ultrathin for information and technical documentation on specific products and solutions.
Can you outline your DRAM product portfolio for the ultrathin space?
Given the breadth and depth of the ultrathin devices currently on the market, and those coming on the market soon, Micron’s objective is to have the DRAM solutions that meet the needs of these diverse products. With the lowest cost and lowest power savings, we offer standard DDR3L (and in the near future, DDR4), a mainstream solution for those designing basic computing systems. DDR3L-RS (and in the future, DDR4-RS) offers a balance in price-performance with improved standby power and a small premium compared to their mainstream counterparts. Our LPDDR3 will be best used in high-end systems requiring the lowest power consumption, and the differentiation at the system level drives additional component budget.
Is DDR3L-RS supported in Microsoft Windows 8?
Yes. DDR3L-RS is fully backward-compatible with DDR3L, today’s mainstream computing memory. Additionally, DDR3L-RS is capable of supporting the Windows® 8 always-on, always-connected specification, depending on system configuration and use case.
Which enablers currently support DDR3L-RS?
DDR3L-RS has received strong support from the enabler community, and the backward-compatibility to DDR3L has made it easier for enablers to support this new technology. Intel, nVIDIA, and others are formally supporting DDR3L-RS.
Which products in the marketplace are using DDR3L-RS today?
While we can’t disclose confidential customer information, we can say that DDR3L-RS has had tremendous market success in terms of adoption by major OEMs and ODMs. DDR3L-RS can be found in a variety of tablets and ultrathin laptops currently available for purchase today. Going forward, this number will increase with the launch of several new models for the holiday season.
When is Micron going to launch DDR4?
Micron has already demonstrated a working DDR4 device and has begun sampling both components and modules to a limited number of customers.
Has JEDEC released the specification for DDR4?
Yes, the first specification was made available on May 7, 2012.
Which enablers are supporting DDR4?
Micron is working with a number of enablers to ensure DDR4 readiness for a wide range of applications. However, please work directly with your enabler on the exact timing of their DDR4 support.
Does DDR4 have additional power savings over DDR3
Because the core voltage drops from 1.35V on DDR3L/RS to 1.2V for DDR4, DDR4 does bring comparative power savings. Additionally, our reduced-standby features will be available on DDR4, so DDR4-RS will save additional power in standby compared to standard DDR4.
Can you outline your SSD product portfolio for the ultrathin space?
Micron’s C400 mSATA drive is about one-third the size of a business card and is designed to work in ultrathin, high-performance SSD-based systems and can also act as a cache drive in dual-drive systems. Micron’s mSATA drive packs powerful C400 performance into an ultra-small form factor, fulfilling the true capability and promise of SSD technology. Built using Micron’s proven 25nm NAND, the mSATA drive delivers the same high performance as our award-winning, OEM-qualified C400 drives, but in a caseless, ultra-lightweight, low-power design that is ideal for ultrathin applications.
What are the key features and benefits of the C400 mSATA SSD?
- Sophisticated NAND-management processes ensure high performance and low latency
- SATA 6Gb/s interface removes the bandwidth bottleneck
- Tuned for real-world performance, providing faster operating system boot and hibernate times, speedier application and file loads, and improved data-transfer time
- Lightweight (<10g), small-footprint design
- Caseless form factor enables slimmer, innovative end designs
- Lower power consumption enables longer battery life
- Rugged, reliable design with no moving parts
- Built with Micron’s proven 25nm NAND
- Proprietary, proven NAND-management algorithms maintain industry-leading drive reliability
What is the mSATA form factor?
The mSATA form factor is a standardized specification for a small (30mm x 51mm), caseless SSD with a mini-PCIe connector that communicates using the SATA protocol. The form factor is a popular choice for many new ultrathin laptop designs.
How does the memory-cell technology, read-write control, and drive lifetime in this SSD compare to previous SSDs for standard mobile computing platforms?
Our mSATA drive delivers the same performance, reliability, and endurance as our standard client SSDs—they both feature Micron’s 25nm MLC NAND technology. Our mSATA drive delivers the same performance (per capacity) that our standard 2.5-inch client SSDs deliver; we chose to develop a high-performance SSD for the Ultrabook market to deliver an excellent computing experience.
What design issues might be associated with this card? For example, what impact might the caseless design have on integration, and how about issues like heat dissipation?
One of the great things about our mSATA drive is that it’s able to deliver the performance of our standard 2.5-inch products in a smaller footprint with no real drawbacks. We’re not able to create a 512GB mSATA drive (due to the reduced number of NAND placements), but there are no heat or integration issues. There are only advantages—the customer benefits from a smaller, lighter, and more efficient design.