Winbond Electronics, a notable Taiwanese semiconductor and integrated circuit maker, has announced the launch of an all-new high-performance NAND flash memory IC for the automotive industry. A 1.8V serial NAND IC, the W25N01JW, as it has been christened, delivers a new high in data-transfer rates – reportedly 83MB/s through a QSPI (quad serial peripheral interface).
As per the official company statement, the W25N01JW chip is equipped with the ability to replace the SPI NOR flash memory in center information displays (CIDs), data storage for instrument clusters, and other applications across the automotive industry. This is specifically important for automotive OEMs since the large display sizes of seven inches and more increase the system memory requirements to a capacity of over 1Gbit. Reportedly, this would demand the adoption of an IC like the NAND flash that has a reduced unit cost than the SPI NOR flash and even covers a smaller area/Mbit of storage capacity.
William Chen, the deputy director, Flash Product Marketing Division, Winbond, is of the opinion that the large and attractive displays of cars require a higher memory capacity that what the SPI NOR Flash offers at present. Winbond’s W25N01JW, he says, is the best option for automotive OEMs, as it delivers a profitable combination of compact size, high reliability, data retention, and lower unit cost, and is perfect for systems that need high-speed memory along the likes of 1 Gbit capacity or higher.
Winbond claims that W25N01JW will be able to support fast boot operations and the requirements of sophisticated graphics applications as well.
For the record, the W25N01JW has been cautiously designed to meet the stringent requirements mandated by the stalwarts of the automotive industry, with regards to the parameters of reliability and quality. The IC is compliant with the retention, quality, and endurance requirements of the relevant JEDEC specifications and the AEC-Q100 standard, having been designed with high-reliability single-level sell (SLC) memory technology, claim reports.