Flash memory drives will take the leap to mass storage in the first half of this year when Samsung releases a 128Gb drive for use in PCs and mobile devices and threatens to make the hard drive redundant for some systems.
The Korean giant will offer the solid-state drives in 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch formats. Demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the drive will write data at 70Mb/s and read at 100Mb/s, thanks to an optimised controller and firmware, Samsung said. Transfer speeds are aided by a 3Gbit/s SATA II interface. Also, a 1.8-inch drive that is just 5mm thick will be available for ultra-thin laptop designs.
There is no end in sight for Flash storage capacities. Also at CES, BitMicro Networks said it plans an 832Gb Flash drive for late-2008, using a 2.5in form factor.
Ultra-mobility is also an aim. At the Storage Visions conference last week, also in Las Vegas, Intel showed off its tiny Z-P140 Flash drives that will be available in 2Gb capacities this quarter and 4Gb next quarter. Smaller than a fingertip, the drives are aimed at ultra-mobile PCs and other small-format devices, including those built on its own Menlow platform that uses the forthcoming “Silverthorne” processor and “Poulsbo” chipset. Menlow-based products are scheduled for mid-2008.
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