FRAM chips from Ramtron are selected for high-rel SSD

Ramtron's FM22L16 4-Mbit (Mb) F-RAM chips are selected by China based SBS Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (SBS) for use in an innovative solid-state disk (SSD) data storage device. SBS is into embedded systems development covering industrial automation markets, such as railway transportation, electric power, medical equipment, and motion control applications.

SBS will deploy the 256Kx16 FM22L16 along with a standard Hard Disk Drive (HDD) interface and controller to store the virtual block-to-sector map for the Flash memory in the SSD. The block-to-sector map is used to store the frequently updated address locations for the data in the SSD, which reduces wear on the Flash memory. Since virtual block-to-sector maps are written frequently and need to be stored when power is removed, F-RAM is an ideal choice due to its extremely high read/write endurance and low power consumption. F-RAM-enabled SSDs are well suited for industrial applications since they have no moving parts or mechanical failure points that are common in rotating hard disk drives.

F-RAMs feature very less write delay and very low power consumption compared to Flash. FRAM overall outweighs flash memory in reliability when compared to NAND and NOR type flash memory making it suitable for some unique applications.

Alex Tsui, Marketing Director for Ramtron, commented, "The advent of Flash-based solid-state disks represents a paradigm shift in the architecture of computer storage subsystems. F-RAM enabled solid-state disks overcome the endurance problems that have challenged the SSD industry while eliminating backup batteries, improving system power consumption, increasing reliability, and shrinking the form factor."

Mr. Zhao Yong, President of SBS, said, "The high endurance, fast write, and low power consumption of Ramtron's FM22L16 make it an ideal choice for application in the embedded field."