Although Intel and Micron’s IM Flash Technologies partnership last November announced mass production of 34-nm lithography-based, 32-Gbit MLC (multilevel-cell) NAND-flash memories, Intel fabricated its first generation of MLC-derived solid-state drives, along with their SLC (single-level-cell) siblings, on 50-nm ICs. In July, Intel unveiled its second-generation 34-nm, MLC solid-state-drive products, although, at first glance, you might scratch your head at what the fuss is all about. Intel still calls the drives the X25-M family, and they come in the same 80- and 160-Gbyte capacities as their 50-nm predecessors, although they showcase a revised silver-case paint scheme.

Real-life performance improvements due to the 34-nm-fabrication reduction, especially considering recent firmware updates of the 50-nm X25-M line, are also unclear. Intel says that the X25-M offers 25% lower latency and notably faster random-write operations than its 50-nm predecessor. The reduced latency offers quicker access to data, operating at 65-µsec read latency compared with approximately 4000 µsec for a hard-disk drive. Random-write performance has increased twofold for the 80-Gbyte version and 2.5-fold for the 160-Gbyte version. According to the company, the X25-M delivers as much as 6600 4-kbyte write-I/O operations/sec—8600 for the 160-Gbyte version—and as many as 35,000 read-I/O operations/sec.

Intel also admits that it does not expect substantial gains on application-based benchmarks versus its first-generation MLC solid-state drives. Conversely, targeted synthetic benchmarks and tests will reveal more noticeable differences. Lingering delays in 6-Gbps SATA (serial-advanced-technology-attachment) system-side support are likely a notable limiting factor in fully showcasing solid-state drives’ speed strengths. However, Intel is passing along 34-nm-process-lithography cost reductions to its customers. In July, the company was quoting channel prices for the 80- and 160-Gbyte X-25M of $225 and $440 (1000), respectively, a decrease from $595 and $945, respectively, at the 50-nm-based product introduction a year ago. Intel is now shipping MLC solid-state drives in the 2.5-in. hard-disk-drive form factor, with 1.8-in. counterparts becoming available by the end of this quarter. Intel currently doesn’t comment on the availability of 34-nm-derived SLC solid-state drives.

This article originally appeared as an entry in the Brian's Brain blog. To view that article, please click here.