Chip giants Intel and Micron Technology claim to have created the industry's first sub-40nm Nand memory device.

The 34nm 32Gb multi-level chip is the smallest Nand process geometry on the market, according to the pair, and was developed by the companies' IM Flash Technologies joint venture.

Intel and Micron said in a statement that the chip is the only monolithic device at this density that fits into a standard 48-lead thin small-outline package, providing a cost-effective path to higher densities in existing applications.

Shipments of customer samples will begin in June, and mass production is expected during the second half of this year.

"This new 32Gb device provides the best bit storage density available in the industry," said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron's memory group.

Pete Hazen, director of marketing for Intel's Nand products group, added: " These advancements will expand the value proposition and accelerate the adoption of solid-state drive [SSD] solutions in computing platforms."

The 34nm chip will enable more cost-effective SSDs, instantly doubling the current storage volume of these devices and driving capacities to beyond 256GB in today's standard, smaller 1.8in form factor, the firms said.