Intel Corporation today announced it is shipping in volume the first 90-nanometer multi-level cell (MLC) NOR flash memory device.

Intel claims that the new StrataFlash Cellular Memory (M18) delivers faster performance, higher density and lower power consumption than the previous 130nm version to meet the increasing demand for feature-rich cell phones equipped with cameras, color screens, Web browsing and video.

The M18 flash memory operates at the same bus frequency as next-generation cellular chipsets ? up to 133MHz. This speeds user application execution because the interaction between the chipset and memory operation is faster than in the 130nm version. With write speeds of up to 0.5MB/second, the M18 supports 3MP (mega pixel) cameras and MPEG4 video.

The new chip is also available in a denser package, with 256MB and 512MB chips shipping. Intel can stack two 512MB chips for a total of 1GB of storage. Note that NAND chips are available in densities of up to 4GB.

Several phone vendors are testing the M18 chip, including Sony Ericcson Mobile Communications and NEC.