Samsung to launch 256GB SSD this year

BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Samsung plans to launch within this year a flash memory-based solid-state disk that boasts a 256G byte capacity and high-speed interface, media reported Monday.

The drive has the same form factor as a 9.5-millimeter high 2.5-inch hard-disk drive for which it is designed to be a drop-in replacement.

Samsung, which is one of the world's largest makers of flash memory chips, is eager to see the drives become popular as their widespread use will represent a big new market for its chips.

The prototype drive announced by the company has a read speed of 200M bytes per second (Bps) and a sequential write speed of 160M Bps, said Samsung.

Samples of the drive will be available to customers from September with mass production due by the end of the year.

A version with a similar form factor to a 1.8-inch drive is also expected to be available in the fourth quarter of the year, the company said.

Solid-state disks (SSDs) are an emerging type of storage device that use flash memory chips in place of the spinning magnetic disks used in hard-disk drives. The memory chips mean the drives are more sturdy and typically have a higher performance but the per-byte storage cost is also much higher, so they are generally more expensive.

(Agencies)