QuickLogic has started shipping an inexpensive memory controller design aimed at helping developers build devices that boot from NAND flash. The “Boot from Managed NAND” controller initially supports booting Linux or Windows CE, obviating the need for a separate NOR flash boot device, the company said.

QuickLogic says that most available processors today do not support booting from managed NAND devices attached to their SD/MMC interfaces. The company's “Boot from Managed NAND” controller aims to solve the problem by instead attaching the managed flash to the host processor's local bus memory interface. The offering includes a controller device said to handle error-correction and “other vendor-specific housekeeping.” It also includes the company's SDIO host controller, and “additional intellectual property that performs the boot sequencing function,” QuickLogic said.

Quicklogic Boot from NAND Flash
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The controller appears to be available as intellectual property that can be implemented using QuickLogic's PolarPro, Eclipse II, or ArticLink FPGA (field-programmable gate array) and “programmable fabric” products.

Jedd Heape, director of systems architecture, stated, “This Managed NAND solution allows mobile product designers to gain the density of NAND flash with the bootability of NOR flash, with the simplicity and flexibility of a managed interface.”

Pricing

QuickLogic's Boot from Managed NAND product is available now, priced as low as $1.20 in high volume, with boot software support for Linux and Windows CE.

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