On December 2 Micron announced a new line of high-capacity memory products. This new portfolio named ClearNAND is designed to address the issues traditionally caused by shrinking memory chips. It is typically seen that the smaller that NAND flash becomes the more error prone it becomes as well as suffering a shortened lifespan. MLC or Multi-Level Cell is the current preferred technology for flash memory due to its high capacity and cheaper costs than SLC or Single Level Cell. ClearNAND will integrate with current Multi-Level Cell technology to allow for a greater performance and reliability past the 20 nanometer stage.

This new technology works by integrating a controller into a standard MLC package allowing for up to eight NAND devices. This internal controller offloads ECC or Error Correction Code from the host controller freeing designers from having to adjust their design every time the NAND changes (Micron 2010). Micron is offering two distinct packages of ClearNAND Standard and Enhanced. The standard is a drop-in replacement for consumer applications where ECC complexities need to be managed and is designed to ease the migration from standard NAND. The enhanced ClearNAND is designed to increase speed and endurance for enterprise applications and supports both asynchronous and synchronous versions of the ONFI 2.2 interface.

This controller technology is going to help ease the way for smaller and smaller physical flash memory size reaching below 20 nanometers and beyond. As society becomes increasingly more digital it is important that data is precise and stable and this is just one more trick in achieving this.