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Innodisk outs embedded SATA nanoSSD, nets 480MB per second from one chip

While single-chip SSDs are clearly known quantities, they usually run at a much more leisurely pace than their larger counterparts. Innodisk doesn't think size and speed have to be contradictory -- it just unveiled an embedded version of its nanoSSD that performs almost as well as its much bigger counterparts. The µSSD-based SATA chip has a tiny footprint (0.63 x 0.79 inches) and draws just 1W of peak power, but can still read at up to 480MB/s and write at 175MB/s. As such, it's one of the few SSDs that can theoretically stuff desktop-class storage into a smartphone or tablet. Whether or not it will is another matter. Innodisk hasn't named customers for the nanoSSD so far, which leaves us guessing just where or when we'll see the drive in a finished product.

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Innodisk Releases World's First Industrial-Embedded SATA µSSD – nanoSSD

Connector-free, high capacity microSSD for next-generation ultra-thin devices
May 22, 2013, Taipei, Taiwan – Innodisk, a designer and manufacturer of SSDs for commercial and industrial applications, announces a release of the industrial-embedded industry's first SATA device in accordance to SATA µSSD standards – nanoSSD.

Through the integration of a control chip, flash memory and peripheral power components into a single ball grid array (BGA) package, Innodisk has managed to reduce the size of the nanoSSD to approximately 1% the size of a 2.5" SSD. With dimensions of only 16 x 20 x 2 mm (WxLxH), a weight of only 1.5g, SATA III support, capacities ranging from 4 to 64 GB and both x86 and ARM compatibility, nanoSSD can be incorporated into a wide variety of applications where a small form-factor and high transfer rates are important, including industrial mobile devices, embedded systems, tablets, high-end smart phones and Ultrabooks.

Innodisk's nanoSSD not only offers the advantage of an incredibly small form factor, as a result of the integration of DRAM into a BGA, this product also features high read/write speeds of 480/175 MB/s, respectively. Whether for purposes of system booting, data storage, or data cache backup, nanoSSD can significantly improve overall system performance.

According to TrendForce predictions for 2013, demand for embedded memory technologies eMMC and SSD will heat up, with a forecast of overall NAND Flash demand growth to reach up to 47.6% with eMMC and SSD contributing to 15% of the NAND flash output growth. Embedded memory technology designed for smart phones, eMMC, has been one of the main choices of ultra-thin hand-held devices, however, being subject to performance limitations, they are usually only implemented in low-end models. For high-end applications such as high performance ultra-thin Ultrabooks, the SATA interface remains the optimal choice.

Designed according to MO-276 standards, the JEDEC standard for SATA microSSDs, nanoSSD is a single-chip SATA implementation which allows for easy design-in. With many applications in the industrial-embedded field, Innodisk's nanoSSD can be applied in embedded storage devices of various sizes, in particular, SATADOM, Innodisk's own world's smallest form factor disk on module series. With Innodisk's expertise in creating mini form factor modules, an even smaller DOM can be created.

This product is fully compliant with the industrial-embedded industry's standards, including: thermal sensor implementation, -40˚C to 85˚C wide operation range, shock-resistance and ATA security and military (MIL-STD-810F/G) compliant quick erase standards.

Innodisk further adds value through firmware optimization designed by in-house R&D, extending the life of its flash products through wear-leveling technology. Also, significantly reducing the risk of industrial applications is Innodisk's own disk monitoring tool – iSMART, which allows users to visualize SSD wear-leveling status at a glance with a clear graphical display, giving users time to replace damaged disks before they fail.