Today Sandisk announced that it expects to start mass production of the world’s first commercial three-bit-per-cell (x3) NAND flash memory in March/April 2008.

The 16-gigabit (Gb) x3 NAND flash employs SanDisk’s standard 56 nanometer (nm) flash technology and provides over 20 percent more die per wafer compared to standard NAND Multi-Level Cell (MLC) memory (2-bits-per-cell) on the same technology node. x3 enables higher manufacturing efficiency and lower die cost for the same capital investment. The new x3 flash architecture has been in development for the past two years and employs SanDisk’s most advanced patented design innovations to achieve the same performance and high reliability found in SanDisk’s 2-bits-per-cell chips.

More details in this Sandisk press-release.

Sandisk also announced today the introduction of Multi-Level (MLC) NAND flash memory using 43 nanometer (nm) process technology co-developed with Toshiba Corporation in Japan.

This 43nm technology advancement provides twice the density per chip compared to 56nm 16Gigabit (Gb) process technology, thus lowering the die-cost while maintaining performance and reliability. During the second quarter of 2008, SanDisk intends to begin shipping products using the industry’s highest available density of single-chip MLC NAND flash memory. Shipments will start with 16Gigabit and will be followed by 32Gigabit in the second half of 2008.
More details in this Sandisk press-release.