SanDisk Corp, the world's No 1 supplier of flash memory-based data storage cards, said it would target ultra low-cost personal computers and business-use laptop PCs to drive demand for its solid-state drives.
Solid-state drives, semiconductor-based memory devices that use NAND flash memory chips, are seen as a promising alternative to hard disk drives used in laptop PCs as they are more shock-resistant and consume less power.
A move toward solid-state drives poses a threat to hard drive makers such as Seagate Technology.
The high cost of solid-state drives compared to hard disk drives with the same memory capacity has until now hindered PC makers' shift to the flash-based drives. But the rising popularity of smaller, cheaper PCs - designed primarily for accessing the Internet, and which do not require a large memory - is set to boost the market for flash memory-based drives, SanDisk said.
"There are more and more companies that have joined in to make such laptops for a second computer for many people," Doreet Oren, director of SanDisk's product marketing, told Reuters at Computex on Tuesday. Computex, which was held in Taipei last week, is the world's second-biggest computer show. SanDisk plans to launch solid-state drives with 4-, 8-, and 16-gigabyte capacities for ultra-low cost PCs this year. Oren said another promising growth area for solid-state drives is business-use laptop PCs.
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