Electronics giant Samsung has shown off what it claims is the world"s most powerful chip for use in memory cards. The 64 gigabit (Gb) chips could be used to make 128 gigabyte memory cards, commonly used in MP3 players, capable of holding the equivalent of 80 DVDs. The chips are built using circuits with a minimum feature size of just 30 billionths of a metre (nanometre). Rival firm Toshiba has said it is also working with similar technology. Both firms will release products in 2009.
Flash memory is a so-called non-volatile computer memory, primarily used in memory cards, USB drives and MP3 players. Non-volatile memory retains information even when there is no power to the device. Samsung said there was currently "exploding demand" for flash memory as a storage medium in a range of applications. The new chips are designed to be used in a specific type of memory known as NAND flash. NAND is one of two types of flash memory and offers higher storage and faster speeds than the cheaper NOR flash.