Following reports that Kingston is reducing prices of its NAND flash-based products by up to 15%, SanDisk too is reportedly preparing price-cuts of its own. Unlike Kingston, SanDisk's entire product portfolio is connected with NAND flash memory, it is the world's largest vendor of memory cards, and also has a vast lineup of USB flash drives. SanDisk will lower its prices just enough to maintain competitiveness with Kingston's products. The company maintains that initiating a price-cutting strategy is intended to boost sales volume and maintain the company's leading market share. According to DRAMeXchange, major NAND flash vendors are initiating price cuts to clear inventories, to make way for flash memory built on newer fabrication technologies.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of NAND flash solutions, today announces their Quadra series, overclocked, quad-channel DDR3 memory kits, targeted at the extreme enthusiast market.

Gamers and enthusiasts already know about Intel's i7-3960X 6-Core processors and now they are scrambling to find DRAM worthy of their new rig. The Quadra, DDR3 Quad-kits, come in 1600 MHz and 1866 MHz and pairs perfectly with the i7 processors, which now handles 4 channels of memory. By fully populating all 8 slots of memory with Super Talent's 4GB DIMMs, users will experience reduced loading times with all their high-system-requirement programs. Now more time can be spent using a computer than waiting on it.

PNY Technologies, Inc. ("PNY") is considered a leading designer, manufacturer and a worldwide leader in DRAM Memory and Flash Memory products, has announced the release of their elegant and stunning range of Clip Attaché USB flash drives. The Clip Attaché serves a dual purpose of an efficient storage device as well as a vanity feature to suit the pace and the trend of the metropolis lifestyle.

PNY Clip Attaché is encased in a colorful metallic case illustrated with 4 different floral designs (plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum) inspired by traditional Seiko art and is an effortless blend of modern technology and classic culture. Available in four different colors to choose from it provides a personalized selection of storage accessories.

Following North American retail availability of the AMD Memory branded desktop system memory modules, AMD (NYSE: AMD) is pleased to announce European retail availability debuting with technology partner Patriot Memory LLC. Key launch partners of AMD Memory in Europe include: Alternate (Germany), ASBIS (East Europe), Avnet Technology Solutions Ltd (EMEA), Pixmania (EMEA) and VIP Computers (UK & Benelux). AMD Memory branded products provide an easy and straightforward experience when looking for the ideal match for gaming or multimedia PC needs.

AMD Memory is available at three different levels - 2GB, 4GB and 8GB sizes - in a range of price points and speeds. The Entertainment category will feature 1333 MHz and 1600 MHz speed RAM, designed for quiet Home Theater PC applications. The Performance version supports speed up to 1600 MHz with enhanced latency and comes in matched pairs. Finally, Radeon Edition DRAM will run at 1866 MHz, and is tuned, tested and certified for specific AMD platforms to enable maximum performance utilizing the AMD OverDrive tuning utility.

Elpida Memory, Inc. ("Elpida", TOKYO: 6665 JP), the world's third largest Dynamic Random Access Memory ("DRAM") manufacturer, today announced the development of its first-ever high-speed non-volatile resistance memory (ReRAM) prototype. As the ReRAM prototype was made using a 50-nanometer (nm[1]) process technology it has a memory cell array operation of 64 megabits[2], one of the highest densities possible for ReRAM. The prototype was jointly developed with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a Japanese-funded public institution. Further work on ReRAM development is being conducted with Sharp Corporation ("Sharp", TOKYO: 6753 JP), the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST, another Japanese public institution) and the University of Tokyo.

ReRAM (Resistance Random Access Memory) is next-generation semiconductor memory technology that uses material which changes resistance in response to changes in the electric voltage. This new type of non-volatile memory can store data even when the power supply is turned off. Its most attractive feature is that it can read/write data at high speeds using little voltage. While dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) is superior to existing non-volatile memory with respect to read/write speeds and endurance, DRAM quickly loses data when the power supply is removed. NAND flash memory, a leading example of nonvolatile memory, retains data even when the power is removed but has performance measures that are inferior to DRAM.

KINGMAX, a world renowned leading brand of DRAM and flash memory, has launched the latest 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s based SSD series targeting high performance users. The KINGMAX SMP32 Client and SMU32 Client Pro SSD feature the new generation SandForce controller that support SATA 6GB/s for the best performances and deliver read speed up to 550 MB/sec and write speed at 520MB/sec, thus it only takes a few seconds to boot in your operation system.

KINGMAX SSD SATA III Client series equipped with highly reliable SandForce controller supporting SATA III 6Gb/s interface to extend the lifetime of NAND Flash chips and the durability of SSD. Supporting RAISE fault-tolerant technology and ECC error correction technology to prevent errors caused by the volume of data loss, strengthen the data security inside it, and upgrade the computing performance. Moreover the data read and write times will be significantly reduced to extend the durability and lifetime of SSD.

Following the success of their v175w ice cream flash drives PNY Technologies, Inc. ("PNY") is considered a leading designer, manufacturer and a worldwide leader in DRAM Memory and Flash Memory products, introduced a new USB flash drive, the v270w. The innovative flash drive comes in an egg shaped design that gives a light-hearted and fun vibe whilst offering fast and convenient transfer of files on the go.

The HP v270w is covered in a distinctive multicolored rubber material offering water and shock resistance that protects and prevents any data loss from accidental drops or external collisions. The egg shaped cover is embossed in wavy design which provides better grip and easy disconnection. The bright use of white and sunshine yellow exudes a playful and radiant appearance.

Kingston showed off its wares to the media, which included one product in particular that garnered some interest, the new HyperX T1 modules. Designed keeping in mind today's congested high-end motherboards, the HyperX T1 modules feature compound aluminum heatsinks that are designed in away that doesn't make the modules thicker, but taller. These modules are twice as tall as usual kits such as the HyperX Genesis. Their PCBs, too, are taller, and probably have an exposed copper layer for heat-transfer, à la Corsair Dominator. The heatsink branches out into fins at the top, for passive heat transfer to surrounding air. These modules will probably comply with new XMP 1.3 specifications, and offer out-of-the-box DRAM speeds in the range of DDR3-2133 to DDR3-2600, with quite some OC headroom to spare.

With the Ultrabook form-factor gaining prominence, there's an urgent need for notebook components to shape up, so is the case with storage devices. A little earlier this month, Crucial announced its latest M4 series SSD in the 2.5" SATA form-factor, which is just 7 mm-slim, as opposed to the ~9.3 mm thickness that's standard. It looks like more SSD makers are hopping into this trend, including Memoright, which launched its FTM Plus Slim series. For SSDs, slimmer 7 mm enclosures don't affect components inside, as SSDs are essentially a printed-circuit board with controllers, DRAM and NAND flash chips.

The FTM Plus Slim series have otherwise the same specifications as the regular (9.3 mm-thick) FTM Plus series. These drives are driven by SandForce SF-2281 controllers, with sequential transfer rates of up to 550 MB/s reads, 500 MB/s writes, and 55,000/50,000 read/write 4K IOPS. They take advantage of SATA 6 Gb/s interface to achieve those speeds. Like its thicker siblings, the FTM Plus Slim will be available in 60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB, and 480 GB capacities.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash, storage, and enthusiast computer products today launches its new portable cloud solution the Gauntlet Wifi. Designed for seamless integration with tablets and other popular mobile devices, the Gauntlet Wifi offers superior portability with the ability to connect up to 5 devices for immediate access to stored data on the go.

With App support for IOS, Android, and plug and play compatibility with Windows based operating systems, the Gauntlet Wifi will offer one of the most robust and easy to use personal cloud storage solutions. For ultimate portability and streaming on the go, a built in lithium-ion battery will power the Gauntlet Wifi for up to 5 hours of data streaming. Streaming content will be supported in media player applications and IE 6 or higher, Firefox, and Safari.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, today announced the availability of a new standard for Wide I/O mobile DRAM: JESD229 Wide I/O Single Data Rate (SDR). Widely anticipated by the industry, Wide I/O mobile DRAM is a breakthrough technology that will meet industry demands for increased levels of integration as well as improved bandwidth, latency, power, weight and form factor; providing the ultimate in performance, energy efficiency and small size for smartphones, tablets, handheld gaming consoles and other mobile devices. JESD229 may be downloaded free of charge from the JEDEC website here.

Wide I/O mobile DRAM enables chip-level three dimensional (3D) stacking with Through Silicon Via (TSV) interconnects and memory chips directly stacked upon a System on a Chip (SoC). The standard defines features, functionalities, AC and DC characteristics, and ball/signal assignments. It is particularly well-suited for applications requiring extreme power efficiency and increased memory bandwidth (up to 17GBps). Examples include 3D Gaming, HD Video (1080p H264 video, pico projectors), and running multiple applications simultaneously. Wide I/O offers twice the bandwidth of the previous generation standard, LPDDR2, at the same rate of power consumption.

The random access memory market is a fiercely competitive one. Also, the yearly high PC shipment volume cycles of yesteryear are now history, pushing the various memory manufacturers into the red - and staying there. Well, it seems like Elpida is feeling the pinch more than most, because much of their debt has come from the Japanese government's recapitalization program and must be repaid by the end of April 2012. It looks like they can't pay this off so easily and due to this pressing deadline are looking for cash wherever they can get it, so it looks like merging with one of their rivals such as Toshiba or Micron might help them out of this predicament. Ultimately though, everyone in the DRAM market is hurting now, so it looks like fewer players are needed, so that they can work more like an oligopoly to return to profitability.

While great for helping them to survive, this isn't such good news for the end customer, who will end up seeing higher prices for their memory and a much slower decline in prices, if any. There's lots of detailed analysis and facts and figures over at X-bit labs.

Investment firm Barclays Capital lowered its ratings on semiconductor majors Intel, Applied Materials Inc, Freescale Semiconductor Holdings Ltd, Microchip Technology Inc., and Spansion Inc., from "equal weight" from "overweight", meaning that these companies are no longer outperforming, and are doing average, with negligible growth. Towards the end of 2011, Intel adjusted its Q4 forecast, lowering it by $1 billion, blaming factors beyond its control such as HDD supply problems. Weakened PC sales growth is another major factor. On the other hand, DRAM and NAND flash memory maker Micron Technology got its rating upgraded to "overweight", as Barclays notes that the industries Micron is in, are on the verge of a boom. Reacting to this, Micron's shares shot up by 11 percent during trading early this week, sending its shares' valuation from $6.2 billion, up 9 percent to $6.88 billion.

Team Group Inc. has overcome the economic stagnation to make another success through slow and steady strategies. iSuppli, the leading research institution, released the latest market statistics of Q2 2011, indicating that the firm ranks no.8 in Flash category in the top 3 Taiwan manufacturers; ranks no. 7 in USB category, moving one place up from the previous quarter; and maintains position as the 12th largest DRAM manufacturer.

According to the President of Team Group, Danny Hsia says that "Team Group Inc. has dedicated itself to Taiwan as well as overseas markets for a long time, and the branding operation has matured. A survey of iSuppli showed our excellent performance, while winning the 10th Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific award is also recognition of Team's potential and competitiveness."

Elpida Memory, Inc., the world's third largest Dynamic Random Access Memory manufacturer, today announced that it has begun sample shipments of 4-gigabit Wide IO Mobile RAM and 4-gigabit DDR3 Mobile RAM (LPDDR3).

Wide IO Mobile RAM is a next-generation mobile memory chip that provides solutions to opposing needs for faster speed and lower power consumption. The rising performance of smartphones and tablet devices in recent years has led to demand for faster DRAMs (DRAMs with greater data transfer rates), but in turn this has generated concerns about increases in system power consumption.

The solution is that Wide IO Mobile RAM expands the I/O width by using x512-bit, a data width that is more than 10 times larger than the width for existing DRAMs, which enables a data transfer rate of 12.8 gigabytes per second (GB/s) per chip while operating at a low speed of 200MHz. The reduced DRAM speed results in approximately 50% less power consumption compared with DDR2 Mobile RAM (LPDDR2), currently the leading DRAM choice for mobile devices, configured at the same transfer rate.

Buffalo Japan unveiled new 8 GB memory modules in the 204-pin SO-DIMM and standard 240-pin DIMM form-factors. These modules pack 8 GB capacity, and stick to JEDEC DDR3-1333 MHz standards. Featured in the D3N1333 series, these modules 1024M x 64bit DIMM configuration. They achieve 1333 MHz speeds with CAS latency of 9T and DRAM voltage of 1.5V. The Buffalo Tools software comes bundled with these modules. The two are priced at 26,670 JPY, around US $341.6.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced results of operations for its first quarter of fiscal 2012, which ended December 1, 2011. For the first quarter, the company had a net loss attributable to Micron shareholders of $187 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, on net sales of $2.1 billion. The results for the first quarter of fiscal 2012 compare to a net loss of $135 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, on net sales of $2.1 billion for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011, and net income of $155 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, on net sales of $2.3 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2011.

The company's consolidated gross margin remained at 15 percent for the first quarter of fiscal 2012. Improvements in NAND Flash margins were offset by declines in DRAM. Revenue from sales of NAND Flash products was 6 percent higher in the first quarter of fiscal 2012 compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 due to an 18 percent increase in sales volume partially offset by a 10 percent decrease in average selling prices. Revenue from sales of DRAM products was essentially unchanged in the first quarter of fiscal 2012 compared to the previous quarter, as a 14 percent increase sales volume was offset by a 12 percent decrease in average selling prices. Sales of NOR Flash products were approximately 14 percent of total net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2012.

Prepare for your RAM to cost you a little bit more early next year! According to the chairman and CEO Simon Chen for Taiwan-based memory module maker Adata Technology the previous cuts in DRAM production will begin to take effect in early January thus effecting the consumers bottom line. He is quoted as saying, "The rebound is mainly because cuts in DRAM output will begin to take effect, PC makers will replenish DRAM inventories and so will buyers on the spot market in January.' He also said, 'PC makers are expected to hike inventory level from two weeks to one month."

Mr. Chen went on to say, "The popularity of Ultrabook PCs will reduce demand for DRAM, but total demand for DRAM will not decrease because of large potential demand for server DRAM arising from fast growth in cloud computing-based applications. However, large demand for Ultrabook PCs will take off when prices fall to US$599 and they are equipped with Microsoft Windows 8." In tough economic times this is a bitter pill to swallow but to be expected given the laws of supply and demand.

Micron Technology, one of the biggest DRAM companies, has announced that it's working the JEDEC standards organization for computer memory, to standardize a new DRAM interface and die-stacking technology called three-dimensional stacking, or 3DS, which may be incorporated into the upcoming DDR4 standard. X-bit labs has a nice summary of how 3DS works:

The idea behind 3DS is to use specially designed and manufactured master-and-slave DRAM die, with only the master die interfacing with the external memory controller. 3DS technology uses optimized DRAM die, single DLL per stack, reduced active logic, single shared external I/O, improved timing, and reduced load to the external world. This combination of features can improve timing, bus speeds, and signal integrity while lowering both power consumption and system overhead for next-generation modules, according to Micron.

Kingston Technology Europe Ltd, an affiliate of Kingston Technology Company Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced that the Romanian overclocking team, Lab501 achieved three new world records with the world's fastest dual channel memory kit, the Kingston HyperX KHX2544C9D3T1FK2/2GX, during a live overclocking session.

The three new records for RAM modules were set on the 3rd of December 2011, by Matei "Matose" Mihatoiu, Tudor "Monstru" Badica and Razvan "Micutzu" Fatu, the three Romanian overclocking champions from the world renowned Lab501 team. The records were achieved in an overclocking event organized in the eMAG showroom in Bucharest, Romania, in front of approximately 100 overclocking enthusiasts and two local TV crews.

KINGMAX, a world renowned leading brand of DRAM and flash memory, announced the KINGMAX latest model UI-03 in the urban series. What would surprise you when you choose a USB drive? Whenever a new style of flash drives comes to the marketplace, of course we look for speed, capacity and the latest technology, but nowadays we also consider its added values, and where added value is concerned, for most people, it is a case of whether it is attachable or waterproof.

KINGMAX latest model UI-03 in the urban series, which really has got the "wow" factor! What is unique is its "paper-clip" design hook, making the UI-03 not simply a storage drive but also a handy USB drive that can also be used to attach pieces of paper together. It can even be attached to your collar as a discrete pendant.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of NAND flash storage solutions, today announces a new line of 1333 MHz, quad rank registered DDR3 RDIMM modules for servers. Today's new motherboards that support the new 16 core processors, now require a new type of RDIMMs, quad-channel DDR3. On the heels of their single and dual rank RDIMMs, Super Talent is pleased to announce a new Quad-Rank Module for those who require even more DRAM capacity.

At 8 GB per module, today's servers can now support a maximum of 128 GB of RAM. These modules have passed vigorous testing using the new AMD Interlagos compatible motherboards and even support fully loaded configurations at speeds up to 1066 MHz. If you're deploying a new server and have been looking for RDIMMs to deliver maximum performance and capacity, you owe it to yourself to call SuperTalent. Products available and shipping now. Part Number: W13RC8G8x - 8GB RDIMM Module.

Racetrack memory, is a new type of magnetic memory that has magnetic domains "racing" along tiny nanometer sized wires, giving performance similar to conventional DRAM. Invented by IBM Fellow, Stuart Parkin, it has been in development since about 2004, with a working prototype having now been unveiled containing 256 "racetrack" cells, each containing a single wire. The technology works by sending very fast electric pulses down these wires, measured in nanoseconds, which transmit very fast moving magnetic domains which are then read by a magnetic head either as a one or a zero, depending on their direction. IBM said in a statement: "This breakthrough could lead to a new type of data-centric computing that allows massive amounts of stored information to be accessed in less than a billionth of a second."

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Micron Technology, Inc. announced today that Micron will begin production of a new memory device built using the first commercial CMOS manufacturing technology to employ through-silicon vias (TSVs). IBM's advanced TSV chip-making process enables Micron's Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) to achieve speeds 15 times faster than today's technology.

Micron's Hybrid Memory Cube features a stack of individual chips connected by vertical pipelines or "vias," shown above. IBM's new 3-D manufacturing technology, used to connect the 3D micro structure, will be the foundation for commercial production of the new memory cube.

IBM will present the details of its TSV manufacturing breakthrough at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting on December 5 in Washington, DC.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, has launched a new USB 3.0 Flash drive, the S107. The S107 offers a new approach to shock-resistant designs and SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interfaces, with a sporty outlook and dynamic design to satisfy the needs of active consumers who want to express their own personal style.

Targeting the modern crowd with an on-the-go and mobile lifestyle, the S107 combines a sporty modern look with military grade shockproof and water-resistant construction. The S107 drive exterior is constructed of a unique silicone rubber, providing excellent reliability, making it ideal for traveling and excursions. Users need not worry about data loss from accidental drops or spills, which can cause irreparable damage in conventional storage devices.