Macronix brings 120MHz 1.2V Serial NOR Flash memories to mass production

Macronix, an integrated device manufacturer in the non-volatile memory (NVM) market, has become the industry’s first Serial NOR Flash memory manufacturer to bring 1.2V devices to mass production.

The ultra-low-power (ULP), high-speed 120MHz MX25S Serial NOR Flash memories are set to usher in a new generation of products targeted at applications that include Internet of Things (IoT), wireless communications technologies – including 5G, WiFi and Narrowband IoT systems, hand-held and Bluetooth devices, and consumer applications.

Global system and device manufacturers are seen as driving innovation in battery-powered and ULP designs, putting memory devices operating at 1.2V at the centre of the market’s attention. According to MarketsandMarkets, next-generation memories will be poised to become a US$2.4bn market by 2023, and the low-power consumption needs of IoT and artificial intelligence are seen as being among the key factors in driving this market.

“Being first in the market with 1.2V Serial NOR Flash memories means Macronix customers serving a wide range of industries globally can achieve high-volume milestones of their own,” said Macronix Vice President of Marketing F.L. Ni. “They’re able to leverage the wide availability of those MX25S ULP memories and go to market without concern about volume of essential ULP Serial Flash memories.”

The MX25S line of 1.2V Serial NOR Flash memories now in mass production is the latest in a series of Macronix firsts; the company successfully launched the first-generation of ULP 1.2V SPI NOR Flash in 2018. The second generation followed in 2020.

This MX25S line sees a significant improvement in power consumption, while maintaining high clock frequencies and data rates. The company leveraged its advanced process technology to achieve the MX25S’s 1.2V operation, which in turn will help to support new applications in IoT, communications and consumer goods that rely on ULP consumption.

The MX25S’s low power consumption – a combination of voltage, current and speed – is 50 percent of 1.8V Serial NOR Flash memories. That degree of power savings, along with the memories’ high data rates, will be especially significant in battery-powered, medical-grade wearables, and miniature healthcare devices.