Countercurrent 1982

Chapter 1546 Solid State Drive

The successful development of the one-micron process flash memory chip has also changed the storage capacity from 512 KB of the three-micron process chip to 1 MB, doubling the performance and so on.

But want to use this memory chip to make MP3, there is still a long way to go.

目前段云公司的火花工作室研发进度又取得了新突破，将音频文件的压缩比例从1:4提升到了1:7，这是第2代MP3的压缩水准，已经很接近后世MP3音频软件10:1的压缩效果了。

But this is still not enough. Nowadays, a 70-minute CD for a chapter will probably have a data file of 700MB. According to the 2:3 compression ratio of the current second-generation MP1 audio software, it can be compressed to 7MB. The newly produced NAND flash memory chip The storage capacity is only 100 MB, which means that at least 1 such flash memory chips are needed to make a truly commercial MP3 player, so it is obviously unrealistic with the current technology.

In fact, it was not until 1993 that Intel launched 16MB and 32MB NOR Flash, using 4 to 6 chips, it could reach the level of making MP3 players.

However, the 16MB and 32MB Flash products newly launched by Intel at that time were quite expensive, and the price of each piece was about 250 to 300 US dollars. The price is very expensive, and it is destined to be a luxury that only a few people can afford. At that time, the price of MD players was only a few hundred dollars, so it was impossible to promote it globally on a large scale.

When Apple's first-generation iPad was launched in 2001, it caused a sensation. It was priced at $1, and 399 units were sold in the first two months of its launch, which made Apple gradually become a myth.

You must know that in 2000, the U.S. dollar had depreciated by half compared to 1990, so buying an MP2000 player for $3 in this era was something only middle-class and wealthy people could do.

Although it will take some time before the MP3 player can be used, Duan Yun can use a new generation of flash memory chips to make solid-state drives with leading performance.

The core component of a solid-state drive is a flash chip. If you open a solid-state drive, you will find that most of it is composed of flash memory chips, so many people turn solid-state drives into a collection of flash memory chips.

But in fact, if you want to use flash memory chips to make solid-state hard drives, you still need to solve many technical problems. In addition to flash memory chips, solid-state hard drives also have a main control chip. This main control chip encapsulates a special algorithm. Each manufacturer uses Algorithms are different. Through this algorithm, the data can be evenly distributed to each piece of flash in the solid state drive. While increasing the speed, it also greatly prolongs the life of the flash.

A more efficient algorithm can perform high-speed compression and reading of data, especially the reading speed can reach a very high level, and it can also extend the life of the flash chip. Generally, the normal use of solid state drives for 3 to 5 years is not a big problem.

So even if Duan Yun has a flash memory chip with superior performance, if he wants to make a solid-state drive, he still has to solve many technical problems.

As early as a year ago, Duan Yun handed over the design of the solid-state drive to Tianyin R&D Center in Silicon Valley, USA. The current R&D work is under the auspices of Liang Mengsong, and the progress is very fast. It is estimated that by the end of this year, there will be Should be able to complete the design work of the entire SSD.

In fact, relying on the technical authorization and production of this new type of chip, Duan Yun can also earn huge profits, but if you want to maximize profits, making solid-state drives is also a very good choice.

The Samsung Group of later generations began to develop solid-state hard drives after their storage chip technology was leading, and finally succeeded, occupying a large part of the international market share.

In fact, many NAND flash memory manufacturers in later generations do not necessarily produce solid-state drives. Most of them are master control manufacturers who use other people’s flash memory to produce SSDs. Many solid-state drive manufacturers ranked among the top 10 in the world do not produce NAND flash memory. The chip is only the main control, which is the so-called module factory.

However, for Duan Yun, there are currently very few manufacturers in the international market as master controllers. In addition, mechanical hard disks still occupy most of the market share, so this is a very good opportunity. If there is a breakthrough, then their Tianyin Group's solid-state hard disk is likely to get most of the international market share and become a giant in the hard disk industry.

In fact, last year, the world's first solid-state drive was born, but the price is too expensive. The converted price of one MB of loose storage has reached 1 US dollars. Although the read and write speed is very fast, the stored data It is also very stable, but its cost performance is far lower than that of ordinary hard disk products at that time.

You must know that in 1991, IBM Applied Technology launched the first 3.5-inch 1GB hard drive. At this time, the storage capacity of the solid-state drive can only reach a dozen MB, and the performance is 100 times different, but the price of the solid-state drive is higher. much.

Therefore, the solid-state hard disk produced by the NAND flash memory chip newly developed by Duan Yun is definitely far inferior to the mechanical hard disk in terms of cost performance. It is almost impossible to replace the mechanical hard disk on ordinary commercial computers, and it will take many years of development.

In fact, it was not until after 2006 that solid-state drives ushered in a blowout development, and major manufacturers swarmed in. Until this time, solid-state drives gradually replaced mechanical hard drives and became the standard configuration of many PCs and laptops.

But at this time, the development and production of solid-state hard drives is not to say that it is unprofitable. In fact, relying on the unique characteristics of solid-state hard drives, it has made great progress in military aviation and medical fields, especially solid-state hard drives. The hard disk must be strong, because there are more components in the mechanical hard disk, and it is easy to loosen when vibration occurs, which will easily cause the loss of files in the hard disk, which is a very fatal flaw for military, aviation, and medical equipment. It is precisely because of this that in the 90s, the top military equipment, aviation and medical equipment of various countries used expensive solid-state drives.

In addition, the read and write speed of SSD is much faster than that of mechanical hard disk, so despite the high price, it has replaced mechanical hard disk in some fields by virtue of its own advantages and is widely used.

Moreover, judging from the development of later generations, it will be a matter of time before solid-state drives replace mechanical hard drives. Duan Yun's layout and development of solid-state drives at this time is very far-sighted and necessary.

But what Duan Yun didn't expect was that some technology manufacturers in the United States seemed to have seen the development of solid-state drives. After Huang Lingyi's paper was published in an American magazine, some hard drive manufacturers called Tianyin Group immediately, wanting to come to Shenzhen. visit……

(End of this chapter)