Winbond Electronics' W25N01JW is a high-performance, 1.8V serial NAND flash memory IC delivering a data-transfer rate of 83MB/s via a quad serial peripheral interface (QSPI). The new high-performance serial NAND technology also supports a two-chip dual quad interface which gives a maximum data transfer rate of 166MB/s. The Winbond 1.8V W25N01JW chip can replace SPI NOR flash memory in automotive applications, such as data storage for instrument clusters or the center information displays (CIDs), the company indicated. This is important for automotive OEMs because the adoption of more sophisticated graphics displays in the instrument cluster, and larger display sizes of seven inches and above in the CID, is increasing system memory requirements to capacities of 1Gbit and higher, the company continued. At these capacities, serial NAND flash has a markedly lower unit cost than that of SPI NOR flash, and occupies a smaller board area per megabit of storage capacity. The W25N01JW also meets strict automotive requirements for quality and reliability, Winbond noted. Built with single-level sell (SLC) memory technology, and implementing 1-bit error correction code (ECC) on all read and write operations, it complies with the endurance, retention and quality requirements of the AEC-Q100 standard and relevant JEDEC specs. The W25N01JW is available for sampling today in a capacity of 1Gbit. A two-chip implementation in dual-quad I/O mode provides 2Gbits of memory capacity and a maximum data transfer rate of 166MB/s. The chip is available in industrial grade and in an extended-temperature automotive grade version operating at up to 105-degrees C.

Samsung Electronics has announced mass production of the Exynos 7 Dual 727 mobile application processor (AP) designed specifically for wearable devices with 14nm FinFET process technology. Powered by two Cortex-A53 cores, the Exynos 7270 makes full use of the 14nm process, delivering 20% improvement in power efficiency when compared to its predecessor built on 28nm, and thus notably extending the battery life, Samsung said. By integrating Cat.4 LTE 2CA modem, the new AP allows wearables to connect to a cellular service as a stand-alone device. Tethering and data transfer between devices is also possible with its embedded WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. In addition, integrated connectivity capabilities support FM radio, and location-based services with GNSS (global navigation satellite system) solutions.

Samsung Electronics has announced it is mass producing an all-in-one advanced system logic chip for the health-oriented wearables market, the Bio-Processor. The Samsung Bio-Processor is specifically designed to allow accelerated development of wearable products for consumers who are increasingly monitoring their health and fitness on a daily basis, the vendor said. By integrating analog front ends (AFE), microcontroller unit (MCU), power management IC, digital signal processor (DSP) and eFlash memory, Samsung's Bio-Processor is able to process the bio-signals it measures without the need of external processing parts. Samsung Bio-Processor will be available in fitness/health devices within the first half of 2016, according to the company.