14 DAY TRIAL // Intel confirmed that it is working on a new solid-state drive product line for mobile computers. The upcoming solid-state drives will feature storage capacities of between 80 and 160 GB.
According to Intel spokespersons the chip manufacturer will unveil its high-capacity offerings during the second quarter of 2008. However, the company declined to disclose further details about Intel's high-capacity drives, such as the exact ship date or disclose the storage density of the NAND flash chips.
At the moment, Intel only offers miniature solid-state drives, such as the famous 2GB Z-P140 PATA and the 4GB Z-U130 USB offerings. The drives are so tiny that they don't even come in a traditional form-factor, but rather as chips ready to be soldered directly on the motherboard. However, Intel touted the wish to increase its presence on the storage market and broaden the SSD portfolio while giving its technology a boost.
Intel has premiered its high-performance Z-Series of solid-state drives during this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Back then, Intel's spokesman claimed that the chip will be showcased again in early April, during the Intel Developer Forum, and rumor has it that the chip manufacturer will officially release it at the same time.
Intel is currently involved with Micron Technology in the IM Flash Technologies joint-venture. The venture has recently unveiled a new NAND Flash technology that is alleged to deliver more than five times the data transfer speed offered by any of the existing NAND technologies. If Intel decides to use its own NAND flash chips in the upcoming SSD drives, they may become the fastest storage devices on the market.
Intel will be competing with other solid-state drive manufacturers, such as Toshiba and Samsung Electronics that have pioneered the SSD industry. However, Samsung will ship a 2.5-inch drive in the second quarter of the year, while Toshiba will release its 32GB to 128GB SSD offerings in early May.