Macronix International Co., Ltd. announced it 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 poised 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.

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

This MX25S line resulted from Macronix’s commitment to innovative technologies enabling 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 unleashed new applications in IoT, communications, and consumer goods that rely on ULP consumption.

The MX25S’s low power consumption – the 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, is especially significant in battery-powered, medical-grade wearables, and miniature healthcare devices.

Key features of the MX25S include: Standard Serial NOR Flash Interface; 1.2V (1.14V-1.6V) Vcc; Ultra-Low Power Consumption; Quad I/O 120MHz Supported; Volatile Bit to Switch between Ultra-Low Power Mode and High-Performance Mode; Program/Erase Suspend and Resume functions Supported; Unique ID and Secured OTP Supported; Ultra Small Form Factor: WSON, USON, WLCSP, KGD, SOP;

Global system and device manufacturers continue to aggressively drive innovations in battery-powered and ULP designs, putting memory devices operating at 1.2V at the center of the market’s attention and, thus, increasing demand for them. According to MarketsandMarkets, next-generation memories will be poised to become a US$2.4B market by 2023, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.5%. The market researcher cited the low-power consumption needs of IoT and artificial intelligence among the key factors in the impressive growth.

Macronix MX25S 1.2V Serial NOR Flash memories are available in high volume with densities of 16Mb and 64Mb, and in small-form-factor packages such as USON and WLCSP. KGD solutions are also available.