DensBits Debuts with eMMC Controller

DensBits, a flash memory controller company, has just introduced its new DB3610 “Memory Modem” eMMC controller for 3-bit or TLC flash.  The controller is the first to use DensBits’ new technology which the company claims can coax better reliability out of 3-bit flash than most controllers can out of 2-bit MLC, to provide important cost savings to OEMs.

Read and write performance is also said to be nearly on a par with 2-bit MLC.

DensBits’ Memory Modem is a blend of ECC, DSP, and flash management techniques that treat the flash chip like a noisy communications channel while understanding its unique quirks.  DensBits says that its ECC performs better than the industry’s best ECC implementations, even LDPC.  More detail on the technique can be found at The Memory Guy blog.

When used with TLC flash the DB3610 supports:

• 2Xnm and 1Xnm processes
• ONFI 2.3, and Toggle NAND 2.0 interfaces
• Endurance of more than 10K P/E cycles
• Sequential performance of up to 95MB/s (read) and 65MB/s (write)
• 4,000 read IOPS and 1,100 write IOPS (4kB random)

The company says that it is working on follow-on products including both client and enterprise SSD controllers.  This will put it in competition with a number of established vendors in the space, notably LSI’s SandForce, OCZ’ Indilinx, Apple’s Anobit, Jmicron, Physon, Silicon Motion, Hyperstone, Skymedi, and all those companies that make captive card and SSD controllers, including the NAND manufacturers Samsung, Toshiba, SanDisk, Hynix, Micron, and Intel.

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