Seoul, Korea - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced yesterday that it has become the first to begin mass producing 16 gigabit (Gb) NAND flash, the highest capacity memory chip now available. The company said it will fabricate the devices in 51 nanometers (nm), the finest process technology to be used in memory mass production to date.

????In rolling out the densest NAND flash in the world, we are throwing open the gates to a much wider playing field for flash-driven consumer electronics,???? said Jim Elliott, director, flash marketing, Samsung Semiconductor. ????To minimize production costs and improve performance, we have applied the finest process technology a ????half generation’ ahead of the industry, which is introducing 55nm and higher.????

Samsung’s 51nm NAND flash chips can be produced 60 percent more efficiently than those produced with 60nm process technology. Samsung achieved this new migration milestone just eight months after announcing production of its 60nm 8Gb NAND flash last August.