Rapidus Wants to Offer Fully Automated Packaging for 2nm Fab to Cut Chip Lead Times
One of the core challenges that Rapidus will face when it kicks off volume production of chips on its 2nm-class process technology in 2027 is lining up customers. With Intel, Samsung, and TSMC all slated to offer their own 2nm-class nodes by that time, Rapidus will need some kind of advantage to attract customers away from its more established rivals. To that end, the company thinks they've found their edge: fully automated packaging that will allow for shorter chip lead times than
Kioxia Demonstrates RAID Offload Scheme for NVMe Drives
At FMS 2024, Kioxia had a proof-of-concept demonstration of their proposed a new RAID offload methodology for enterprise SSDs. The impetus for this is quite clear: as SSDs get faster in each generation, RAID arrays have a major problem of maintaining (and scaling up) performance. Even in cases where the RAID operations are handled by a dedicated RAID card, a simple write request in, say, a RAID 5 array would involve two reads and two writes to different drives. In cases where
Western Digital Introduces 4 TB microSDUC, 8 TB SDUC, and 16 TB External SSDs
Western Digital's BiCS8 218-layer 3D NAND is being put to good use in a wide range of client and enterprise platforms, including WD's upcoming Gen 5 client SSDs and 128 TB-class datacenter SSD . On the external storage front, the company demonstrated four different products: for card-based media, 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards with UHS-I speeds, and on the portable SSD front we had two 16 TB drives. One will be a
The Noctua NH-D15 G2 LBC Cooler Review: Notoriously Big, Incredibly Good
When you buy a retail computer CPU, it usually comes with a standard cooler. However, most enthusiasts find that the stock cooler just does not cut it in terms of performance. So, they often end up getting a more advanced cooler that better suits their needs. Choosing the right cooler isn't a one-size-fits-all deal – it is a bit of a journey. You have to consider what you need, what you want, your budget, and how much space you have in your
Kioxia Details BiCS 8 NAND at FMS 2024: 218 Layers With Superior Scaling
Kioxia's booth at FMS 2024 was a busy one with multiple technology demonstrations keeping visitors occupied. A walk-through of the BiCS 8 manufacturing process was the first to grab my attention. Kioxia and Western Digital announced the sampling of BiCS 8 in March 2023. We had touched briefly upon its CMOS Bonded Array (CBA) scheme in our coverage of Kioxial's 2Tb QLC NAND device and coverage of Western Digital's 128 TB QLC enterprise SSD proof-of-
Intel Publishes First Microcode Update for Raptor Lake Stability Issue, BIOSes Going Out Now
Following Intel’s run of financial woes and Raptor Lake chip stability issues, the company could use some good news on a Friday. And this week they’re delivering just that, with the first version of the eagerly awaited microcode fix for desktop Raptor Lake processors – as well as the first detailed explanation of the underlying issue.
The new microcode release, version 0x129, is Intel’s first stab at addressing the elevated voltage issue that has seemingly been the cause of Raptor Lake processor degradation over
Phison Introduces E29T Gen 4 Controller for Mainstream Client SSDs
At FMS 2024, Phison gave us the usual updates on their client flash solutions. The E31T Gen 5 mainstream controller has already been seen at a few tradeshows starting with Computex 2023 , while the USB4 native flash controller for high-end PSSDs was unveiled at CES 2024 . The new solution being demonstrated was the E29T Gen 4 mainstream DRAM-less controller. Phison believes that there is still performance to be eked out on the Gen 4 platform
U.S. Signs $1.5B in CHIPS Act Agreements With Amkor and SKhynix for Chip Packaging Plants
Under the CHIPS & Science Act, the U.S. government provided tens of billions of dollars in grants and loans to the world's leading maker of chips, such as Intel, Samsung, and TSMC, which will significantly expand the country's semiconductor production industry in the coming years. However, most chips are typically tested, assembled, and packaged in Asia, which has left the American supply chain incomplete. Addressing this last gap in the government's domestic chip production plans, these past couple of
Intel Postpones Innovation 2024 Event, Cites Poor Finances
As Intel looks to streamline its business operations and get back to profitability in the face of weak revenues and other business struggles, nothing is off the table as the company looks to cut costs into 2025 – not even Intel’s trade shows. In an unexpected announcement this afternoon, Intel has begun informing attendees of its fall Innovation 2024 trade show that the event has been postponed. Previously scheduled for September of this year, Innovation is now slated to take place at some point in 20
Microchip Demonstrates Flashtec 5016 Enterprise SSD Controller
Microchip recently announced the availability of their second PCIe Gen 5 enterprise SSD controller - the Flashtec 5016. Like the 4016, this is also a 16-channel controller, but there are some key updates:
- PCIe 5.0 lane organization: Operation in x4 or dual independent x2 / x2 mode in the 5016, compared to the x8, or x4, or dual independent x4 / x2 mode in the 4016.
- DRAM