BitMicro Networks, unveiled details of the first product in its next generation E-Disk Altima flash solid state drive family on Tuesday at the Defense Systems & Equipment International Exhibition in London.
The new flash memory-based device will begin shipping by March 2008, the Fremont, Calif.-based company said.
Featuring capacities ranging from 4GB to 416GB, BitMicro's 2.5-inch E-Disk Altima E2A133BL ATA-133 model will be geared toward large sites looking to upgrade from Parallel ATA-based systems. The new solid state hardware offers ATA/ATAPI-7 PATA specifications and supports PIO 0-4, DMA 0-2 and UDMA 0-6 data transfer modes, according to BitMicro officials.
The new drive offers throughput of up to 133MB/sec throughput, and Read/Write rates of up to 100 MB/sec.
Analysts say that over the next few years, emerging solid state drive technology is projected to rapidly gain adoption beyond the high-end of the disk drive market as its price tag drops. In July, IDC released a report predicting that growing performance and mobility requirements will catapult solid state storage revenues from US$373 million in 2006 to US$5.4 billion in 2011.
Overall, IDC said the new technology will likely have a significant impact in the PC industry as its use grows in notebook computers, whose manufacturers are increasingly seeking to meet user need for storage systems that are more durable and mobile storage than hard disk drives.
Pricing plans for the new device were not immediately available.