Samsung did not state whether the 16-Gbit memory is monolithically integrated or made up from multiple chips in a single package, but it did say that the memory is the first NAND flash memory made using a 50 nanometer manufacturing process.

The latest Samsung samples have a multilevel cell (MLC) design with a 4-kbyte page size, the company said. The page function has been doubled in size compared with previous NAND flash memories and ahs enabled the memory to double the read speed, while increasing write performance by 150 percent, Samsung added.

The memory is set to be deployed in external memory cards for use with PCs and in mobile phone handsets. The introduction of a 16-Gbit (2-Gbyte) memory is also expected to accelerate the adoption of non-volatile memory applications such as flash-based solid state disks, which could be used with Microsoft's Vista operating system.