Memory maker Elpida has begun sampling is 0.11 micron 256Mb SDRAM chips for mobile systems.

Elpida claims each chip consumes just 35 per cent of the power that a multi-chip package based on two 128Mb devices requires. The chip will be offered at operational voltages of 3.3V and 2.5V.

The single-die device is half the size of the two-chip part.

The 256Mb part runs at up to 166MHz. For the tech-minded, the part's specs. include a programmable burst length of one, two, four, eight and full-page; a CAS latency of two and three; a refresh rate of 4096 refresh cycles ever 64ms, with auto-refresh and self-refresh modes.

Elpida will put the memory into volume production in September, at prices of $20-29 per chip based on the chip voltage and the row address (4096 or 8192). ®