IM Flash Technologies, the joint venture of Intel Corp. and Micron Technology, has unveiled a new flash memory chip produced using 34nm process technology. It is the smallest NAND process geometry on the market, which was designed with solid state drives in mind, according to manufacturers.

The joint venture introduced the industry’s first sub-40nm NAND memory device, unveiling a 34nm 32Gb multi-level cell chip. This process technology was jointly developed by Intel and Micron and manufactured by IM Flash Technologies (IMFT). The 34nm 32Gb chips will be manufactured on 300 millimeter wafers, each producing approximately 1.6TB of NAND.

“This new 32Gb device provides the best bit storage density available in the industry. Together with our partners at Intel, we’re proud to have now taken the lead in production process technology,” said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron’s Memory Group.

The new 32Gb NAND chip is the only monolithic device at this density that fits into a standard 48-pin thin small-outline package (TSOP), providing a cost-effective path to higher densities in existing applications. Measuring just 172mm², less than the size of a thumbnail, the 34nm 32Gb chip will cost-effectively enable high-density solid-state storage in small form factor applications.

Intel and Micron said that the new 34nm 32Gb chip was designed with solid-state drives in mind. The product will enable more cost-effective SSDs, instantly doubling the current storage volume of these devices and driving capacities to beyond 256GBs in today’s standard, smaller 1.8” form factor.

Based on the 34nm architecture, Intel and Micron also plan to introduce lower density multi-level cell products including single-level cell products, by the end of this year.