X-bit labs

CeBIT 2008 Coverage: Part 4 (page 4)

Category: Editorial

by Anton Shilov

[ 03/13/2008 | 07:01 PM ]

Slowly, But Surely: Solid-State Drives Embraced by Memory Module Suppliers

Despite of the fact that solid-state drives are still extremely expensive, all the leading makers of memory modules and flash based storage devices showcased their new SSDs at CeBIT 2008, probably in anticipation of increasing demand.

OCZ ultra high speed SSD with 32GB or 64GB flash onboard

Last year we reported that only a handful of flash memory companies displayed their SSDs at CeBIT 2007 and said that many suppliers were waiting till the prices on flash-based storage comes down. This year virtually all well-known makers of memory modules showcased their SSDs at the show, even despite of the fact that solid-state drives have not become mainstream to say at least.

Patriot SSD with 128GB of flash onboard

Almost every large memory company from the USA – OCZ Technology, Patriot Memory, Super Talent – displayed their own SSDs at CeBIT 2008, an indicator that end-users truly do demand flash-based drives.

Super Talent SSD with up to 256GB of flash memory onboard

Ironically, no one of those, who demonstrate SSDs. expect any breakthroughs in terms of demand in the short-term due to the price, which is still too high. Nevertheless, it is logical to expect more users to adopt large capacity solid-state drives in the coming years: Windows Vista successor is definitely around the corner and demands towards capacities are unlikely to increase significantly in the coming years. Therefore, once 64GB or 128GB SSDs become affordable, a lot of mobile computers will start installing them into their systems due to higher performance and reliability.