Samsung unveils 32GB Flash-based 'HDD killer'
By Tony Smith
21st March 2006 14:25 GMT
Samsung has launched what it reckons its the world's first
32GB NAND Flash-based hard disk drive replacement
unit. The company claimed the so-called "solid state disk" can
access data three times faster than an HDD can and write files
one-and-a-half times more quickly - though we don't know what HDD
spec it was comparing its product to.
The SSD is a 2.5in form-factor product that operates at 5V and
connects across a 66MHz Ultra DMA parallel ATA bus. Samsung said
the unit consumes just five per cent of the energy it takes to run
a hard drive.
Samsung launched the product in Taiwan, the better to attract the
islands' numerous notebook manufacturers, who produce almost all of
the world's mobile computers. Samsung is particularly keen to get
its drive into laptops, which it believes will benefit most from
the SSD's lower power consumption.
As the world's largest manufacturer of NAND Flash, Samsung wants to
broaden the memory technology's appeal beyond MP3 players and
memory cards. It has been working with Microsoft on the idea, and
Windows Vista will support the use of NAND Flash caches to speed
boot times. Intel recently unveiled 'Robson', an add-in card that
uses a NAND Flash bank to cache operating system components to
reduce start-up times and help cut battery consumption.
Samsung's SSD is seen more as an alternative to an HDD than
something that operates alongside one, it seems. Samsung believes
the SSD market will be worth $4.5bn by 2010, up from $540m this
year. ®