AgigA Tech intros first high-speed, high-density, battery-free NVS

POWAY, USA: AgigA Tech Inc., a subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corp., introduced the industry’s first high-speed, high-density non-volatile RAM system. The new AGIGARAM non-volatile system (NVS) technology delivers densities between 4 megabytes (32 megabits) and 2 gigabytes (16 gigabits) and peak transfer rates equivalent to DRAMs.

The AGIGARAM is ideal for a wide range of systems, including storage, networking, communications, industrial computing and controls, medical equipment, gaming systems, ATMs and point-of-sale terminals, printers, scanners, copiers, automotive and military systems.

Until now, high-speed, non-volatile memory choices have been limited, especially when the performance of a RAM is desired. Complementing the nvSRAM offerings from Cypress, the AGIGARAM system scales and extends nonvolatile solutions to much higher densities. The next best high-density alternative, battery-backed memories, can offer high speeds, but are subject to numerous problems, such as hazardous material issues, increased design complexity, long charge times, limited operating life, and a high total cost of ownership.

The AGIGARAM system solves these problems with a novel use of a battery free power sub-system, teamed with high-speed synchronous DRAM, NAND Flash, intelligent power management and a proprietary system controller. During normal operation the AGIGARAM functions exactly like a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM).

When power is lost, however, it automatically saves the data to NAND Flash using the energy stored in the power subsystem. When power is restored, the data is transferred back into the SDRAM. This functionality can be used for power interruption/loss immunity, instant-on recovery, write caching and posting, data logging and journaling, and service and maintenance processing.

“Today's memory technologies all have a problem. DRAM is volatile, flash is slow, SRAM with batteries is unreliable, and alternative technologies are too costly to use in large densities," said Jim Handy, Director of Objective Analysis. "Products like AgigA Tech's that combine the best attributes of DRAM and NAND are likely to meet with broad acceptance."

“AgigA Tech’s unique technology and expertise have yielded a superior solution for high-speed, high-density non-volatile RAM,” said Ron Sartore, CEO of AgigA Tech. “And our relationship with Cypress enables us to work with customers through a world-class sales and distribution network.”

AGIGARAM products and features -- AgigA Tech announced two distinct AGIGARAM product families; BALI and CAPRI.

BALI Product Features: Targeted at general purposes, embedded, and industrial applications:

4-MB to 64-MB densities
High-speed 100 MHz SDRAM
200 MB/sec peak transfers
I2C command/control bus
3.3V VCC for 4 MB to 32 MB, 5.0V VCC for 64 MB
Package: 200-pin SO-DIMM or Mezzanine card
0-70 degrees C operating range
3 year, 5 year and 10 year operating life options
Integrated battery-free power pack

CAPRI Product Features: Targeted at higher end storage, industrial, networking, and communications applications, this product comes in sizes ranging from 256 MB to 2 GB and uses a much higher speed DDR-800 interface. It also integrates a battery-free power pack. Future versions will extend these sizes even further.

Availability
The AGIGARAM BALI product is available now in production. Evaluation kits are also available now. The higher-end DDR2 based CAPRI product will be sampling in July of this year, with production quantities available in September 2009.