Topic summary
Flash-based storage

Extracted from the Wikipedia article Solid-state storage.
Overview
Solid-state storage typically uses the NAND type of flash memory, which can be accessed in chunks smaller than the entire capacity of the device. The minimal chunk size (page) for a read operation is much smaller than the minimal chunk size (block) for a write/erase operation, resulting in an undesirable phenomenon called write amplification that limits the random write performance and write endurance of a flash-based storage device.