Slide 4.12: DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs) Slide 4.14: Conclusions Home

Flash Memory

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Flash memory is a form of EEPROM (Electrically-Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) that allows multiple memory locations to be erased or written in one programming operation. It is a form of rewritable memory chip that, unlike a RAM (Random Access Memory) chip, holds its content without the need of a power supply.

Cost Flash memory's price per Mbyte fell 56 percent from 2004 to 2005, and will fall 47 percent more in 2006 and another 35 percent in 2007. Currently, NAND's storage per Mbyte costs three times as much as minidrives' and 100 times as much as large-capacity drives'. Capacity Hard drives generally hold up to 400 Gbytes in PCs and up to 120 Gbytes in laptops. Compact-flash-sized minidrives hold up to 6 Gbytes.

Replacing the Hard Drive?
There are two obstacles for flash replacing the hard drive:

• Flash memory technology's higher price could make it more difficult for the technology to compete with hard drives in larger devices.
• Software makers continue building applications that balloon in size, thereby requiring more storage capacity.

Flash memory will always be more expensive than hard drives but that in small capacity devices such as digital cameras, cell phones, and embedded controllers, flash memory's benefits could compensate for its higher costs.