Taiwan-based IC design house Innostor Technology has offered IS916, a USB 3.0 flash drives controller IC supporting MLC (multi-level cell) and TLC (triple-level cell) NAND flash, with monthly shipments of IS916 and its predecessor IS902 exceeding one million units, according to the company.

IS916 has passed USB 3.0 Implementers Forum (IF) certification and has been adopted by clients in the US, Europe, Japan and other Asia countries, Innostor indicated. The adoption of IS916 allows product design based on USB2.0 without the need of modifying outer casings and thereby saves development cost and time for clients, Innostor pointed out.

As most flash drives will be made of TLC NAND flash in 2012 to minimize production costs, it is thus important for USB 3.0 controller ICs to support TLC, according to industry sources in Taiwan. Although development of USB 3.0 application in 2011 has not progressed as originally expected, it will be sped up by Intel's launch of USB 3.0 host chipsets in 2012 which will push USB 3.0 to become a standard interface, the sources pointed out.

Source:digitimes