Toshiba announces 128 GB chip for smart phones, tablet PCs

Japanese technology giant Toshiba said Thursday it has come up with a monster chip that packs 128 gigabytes of memory, for use in smartphones, tablet PCs and digital video cameras.

It said the embedded NAND flash memory module had the highest capacity yet achieved in the industry, all jammed into a mini slab that measures just 17x22x1.4 millimetres.

Samples will be available from September, and mass production will start in the fourth quarter of the year, when Toshiba will also produce a 64GB variant, the company said.

"Demand continues to grow for large density chips that support high resolution video and deliver enhanced storage," Toshiba said in a statement.