ACADEMIA

Toshiba Storage Products, Business Unit of Toshiba America Electronic Components announced a new lineup of solid state drives (SSDs) that provides both high performance and energy efficiency for the most data-intensive and energy-sensitive applications. The THNSNF drives are the world's first to take advantage of 19nm process NAND flash memory, which delivers major advances in power consumption and performance. Continuing Toshiba's long history of innovation in NAND flash memory -- 2012 marks the 25th anniversary of Toshiba's invention of NAND flash -- the THNSNF series provides an ideal storage solution for high-end and thin and light notebooks, all-in-one desktop computers, embedded systems and external storage devices for consumer and industrial PCs.

The THNSNF series employs Toggle MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash, which delivers significantly faster performance than competing SSDs using synchronous or asynchronous NAND flash. Clocking in at around twice the speed of Toshiba's HG3 series SSDs, the THNSNF series will be available in four capacities (64, 128, 256, and 512 GB) and in three form factors:

-- THNSNFxxxGBSS - 9.5 mm height, SATA 6Gb/s

-- THNSNFxxxGCSS -7.0 mm height, SATA 6Gb/s

-- THNSNFxxxGMCS - mSATA(TM), SATA 6Gb/s

Toshiba's unique integrated SSD design and manufacturing capability ensures that key components of the SSD, from firmware to controllers, as well as NAND flash, are designed by Toshiba, further underscoring Toshiba's vertical integration and leadership strengths in the growing SSD market. Toshiba's innovation with the THNSNF series includes data protection through use of Quadruple Swing-By Code (QSBC), Toshiba's robust and highly efficient error correction code technology.

The THNSNF series delivers efficient power utilization of less than 0.1 W, exceeding the Business Applications Performance Corporation MobileMark(R) 2007 benchmark for battery life, a critical standard for next-generation ultrathin notebook PCs as well as current notebook PCs. The THNSNF series employs Advanced Power Management (APM) technology to control power consumption, and offers optional Automatic Thermal Control to reduce power consumption in response to drive temperatures.

"Our customers are increasingly looking to SSDs as a storage solution across multiple products and markets because of the performance and reliability they deliver," said Joel Hagberg, vice president of marketing at Toshiba's Storage Products Business Unit. "The THNSNF series provides not only great performance, but also extremely low power consumption across a broad range of form factors and capacities. These are critical features for our customers as they design the next generation of PCs and embedded systems."