If only I could organize my thoughts as
easily as Silicon Storage Technology's
All-in-OneMemory organizes its code
and data. This device combines the benefits of NOR and NAND flash, RAM, and
built-in controllers, so all your memory
needs can coexist under one roof (). This provides an ideal
execute-in-place (XIP) environment in
which program code executes in the
same place in which it is stored.
SST relied on fancy system-in-package
(SiP) footwork to create this device, which
targets embedded devices such as cell
phones, portable media players, personal
navigation devices, medical instruments,
and set-top boxes. With multiple gigabytes of XIP storage, the All-in-OneMemory suits the growing needs of multimedia-based devices as more and more devices
offer high-resolution digital video.
The All-in-OneMemory's host-configurable (except the NOR) memory map is
accessible via the host bus (). The NOR memory holds boot
code for instant and secure boot. The
pseudo-NOR is available for code execution and data storage. A RAM block can
be used for temporary data and caching.
And, there's a sequential access block for
non-XIP code and data storage.
While all of this is contained in one
small-footprint package, the device's built-in 32-bit microcontroller decides the
best memory for each task and communicates that decision to an external host
CPU. The controller also provides memory
demand paging, flash memory management, and a standard ATA data storage
protocol. This simplifies the host interface and reduces design and test times,
as well as the overall system cost.
"I am impressed with the approach
SST has taken with its All-in-OneMemory
technology," says Mark DeVoss, a senior
analyst at iSuppli Corp. "Overall it seems
like a well-thought-out scheme for rearchitecting the memory subsystem to
address the cost and time-to-market
needs of system designers working on
mobile and consumer electronics. SST
has taken the complexity out of hybrid
memory architectures by enabling a single-bus memory subsystem that uses the
standard SRAM host interface, which is a
huge benefit for designers."
Contact the company for information
about block sizes and pricing. The All-inOneMemory will be available in the second half of this year. For more about system memory and the tradeoffs of each
memory type, see "So, What Was That
Memory Technology Again?".
Silicon Storage Technology
www.sst.com/products.xhtml/all_in_onememory/