JEDEC Solid State Technology Association this week announced the publication of registered outline MO-297 for 1.8” slim solid-state drives.  These types of SSDs have a range of applications in consumer products, including netbooks and laptops.

“MO-297 is the first document to standardize a physical outline for a solid state drive. Adoption of this standard has the potential to deliver significant benefits for the industry by creating a single outline for storage suppliers and systems manufacturers to use and reference,” said Jim Leidy, business development manager for Tyco Electronics and Chairman of the JEDEC Task Group behind the effort.

MO-297 defines the dimensions, layout and connector position for 54mm x 39mm solid state drives with a standard SATA connector. Adopting a standard form factor for these types of solid state drives will enable interoperability throughout the supply chain, benefiting drive manufacturers, product designers and consumers.  Conforming to a single standard will simplify the product design process, shortening time to market and facilitating a reduction in costs.

“Consumers will also have the benefit of vendor choice and ease of replacement, since drives adhering to the standard will be interchangeable,” added Mr. Leidy.

The development of SSD standards involves various JEDEC committees as well as numerous external standards organizations.  The MO-297 registered outline correlates directly with SFF Committee specification SFF-8156, and also references the Serial ATA International Organization’s (SATA-IO) Revision 2.6 Specification for connector dimension and tolerance.

Tags: JEDEC, SSD, Flash