HyDrive ODD/SSD Combo to Reach 500MB/s by 2013

Seagate's Momentus XT HDD/SSD combo may be gaining laurels from every reviewer out there, but Hitachi and LG seem to want something similar with a certain hybrid storage device of their own, known as the HyDrive. These two inventions are partially alike through the fact that they try to make the best of the speed of Flash storage while also providing the functionality of a different technology. Seagate chose HDD platters, whereas LG and Hitachi went for optical disks.

Essentially, the HyDrive can be seen as either an optical drive with built-in Flash storage or an SSD with a built-in optical drive. The first model, unveiled in late May, is 12.7mm-thick, boasts 32GB or 64GB of flash memory and, most importantly, the ability to read Blu-ray disks. The product will make it to market by August, followed, in September, by a version that also supports Blu-ray but has a much higher amount of flash storage, 256GB, to be exact.

More space is not the only asset of this planned second in the line, of course. In addition to measuring either 12.7mm or 9.5mm in thickness, the device won't be limited to the SATA 3.0 Gbps interface that the first HyDrive is slated to employ. In addition to the SATA 6.0Gbps connection, USB 3.0 will also be supported. Furthermore, by 2013, the size of the electronic should shrink to 7mm thickness, even while maximum transfer rates reach 500MB/s and 350MB/s when reading and writing, respectively.

Essentially, the following four years will have Hitachi and LG Data Storage placing a significant amount of effort into improving and promoting this new type of hybrid storage solution. Finally, in 2010, the former intends to provide, in addition to a larger maximum storage capacity, a certain feature known as Application Micom, though nothing is known about it at this time.