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SanDisk Corporation is
the global leader in flash memory cards, from research, manufacturing and
product design to consumer branding and retail distribution. |
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SanDisk's product portfolio
includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders;
digital audio/video players;
USB flash drives for
consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and
solid state drives for
computers. SanDisk is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than
half its sales outside the United States.
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See also:-
SanDisk
- editor mentions on StorageSearch.com
.................SanDisk's
SSD page - and SanDisk focused blogger -
Savo Lainen | |
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- editor's comments:- October 2011 -
SanDisk (a
top 10 SSD company in
Q3 2011 - is one of the leading company in advancing the use of
MLC technology in
SSDs (x3 and x4) continuing the thrust of technologies and market ambitions
which it inherited from it acquisition of SSD pioneer
M-Systems in 2006.
For reasons
described in other articles on this site - the
notebook SSD
market hasn't been the money spinner which companies like SanDisk had once
hoped. And at the start of 2011 - the company had no credible products to
offer in the much bigger
enterprise SSD
market.
SanDisk made an effort to fix that problem in May 2011 by
acquiring
Pliant Technology -
which had developed its own fast SSD controllers - but had been unable to
attract enough business for its SSDs due to the competiitive phenomenom of the
SandForce inside
market - which took away most of the market it must have hoped it would get in
its fiunding business plans.
Whether or not SanDisk manages to put in
place in effective enterprise marketing business remains to be seen. However
based on StorageSearch.com's stats in Q3 2011 - there was more interest
in SanDisk's enterprise SSDs than in their consumer products - so the market is
interested to see what they might have to offer.
SanDisk has hundreds
of SSD competitors. The most significant in the small form factor enterprise SSD
space are:- SandForce
driven SSDs, STEC, and
OCZ. And soon you will
have to add to that list -
WD - assuming
that their acquisition of Hitachi GST goes through as planned. |
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In February 2009 SanDisk announced
that it will begin mass-production of the world's first 4-bits-per-cell (X4)
flash memory. Using 43nm process technology, this breakthrough enables 64Gb
memory in a single die - the highest capacity in the industry
In
May 2009 - SanDisk
started shipping its 2nd generation of
miniature
PATA compatible
SSD
modules for the netbook market. Performance is 9,000 vRPM and capacities
range from 8 to 64GB. SanDisk says it has improved the non volatile cache to
prevent "stalling" or "shuddering" which was a problem in
1st generation netbook SSDs.
Storage
clairvoyants, IDC,
project consumer purchases of netbooks to rise from 11.5 million sold in 2008 to
50 million in 2013.
27 companies make
miniature SSDs under 1.0"
in size. pSSD is simply a brand name of this SSD family from SanDisk -
and not new SSD jargon
term you need to know about. The traditional term for this type of product
is a DOM (disk on module). A SanDisk document describing the
1st
generation pSSD said the benefits were low cost and low weight - 1/10th
the weight of a typical 1.8"
HDD.
In
November 2009 - SanDisk
announced
that its 64GB
(9,000
vRPM) pSSD module has been selected as a standard SSD option in
Sony's
new VAIO X ultra-thin laptop.
In January 2010 -
SanDisk today
announced
results for the quarter ended January 3, 2010 - revenue of $1.24 billion
increased 44% on a year-over-year basis and increased 33% sequentially.
SanDisk's Chairman and CEO, Eli Harari, said the company had
achieved unit sales growth of 55% and gigabyte growth of 100% compared to the
year prior quarter.
In February 2010 -
SanDisk said it was
shipping
its G3 range of SSDs which had been preannounced in
January 2009 -
and originally expected to ship "in mid 2009."
In April
2010 - SanDisk
dropped out of StorageSearch.com's
top 10 SSD oems list
- and got its lowest ever ranking.
In May 2010 -
SanDisk started
sampling
netbook
SSD modules with upto 128GB capacity in the "mSATA mini"
form factor. SanDisk also started sampling 256GB models in its G4 notebook
SSD range.
In September 2010 -
SanDisk
announced
that NDS (a tv set top box designer with
with over 30 million DVR units deployed) has successfully has designed SanDisk
SSDs into a new range of lower cost set-top DVRs. The new solution allows
for the deployment of energy-efficient STBs with decreased power consumption,
small form factors and virtually silent operation.
In February 2011 -
SanDisk preannounced
details of a new miniature
SSD which will ship in Q3 2011 - the
iNAND
has upto 64GB (x3 MLC) capacity in a 12mm x 16mm x 1mm package.
In
May 2011 -
SanDisk acquired
Pliant Technology
for approximately $327 million.
In June 2011 -
SanDisk expanded its
Lightning
range (2.5"
and 3.5"
SAS
skinny flash
SSDs) which now offer upto 800GB MLC capacity. The new models are being
delivered for OEM qualification, and will be available via authorized channel
partners in Q3, 2011.
In July 2011 -
SanDisk was one of
several compatible companies named in
FlashSoft's launch of
its auto tiering SSD
software. |
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| SSD sudden power
loss vulnerability guide |
Why should you care
what happens in an SSD when the power goes down?
This important design
feature - which barely rates a mention in most SSD datasheets and press releases
- has a strong impact on
SSD data integrity
and operational
reliability.
This article will help you understand why some
SSDs which (work perfectly well in one type of application) might fail in
others... even when the changes in the operational environment appear to be
negligible. |
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| SanDisk
gets serious about enterprise SSDs |
Editor:- May 16, 2011 - SanDisk announced a
definitive agreement to acquire Pliant Technology
for approximately $327 million.
Editor's comments:- I had some
time ago made these strong comments in the profile pages of the respective
companies.
"As I see it Pliant's current business model is not
sustainable as it has a very narrow channel into the enterprise SSD market
which can easily be choked off by slot substitution." and
"Despite
occasional talk about "enterprise SSDs" - SanDisk is culturally
rooted in the consumer electronics market. That's a very competitive market in
which few companies are making profits."
This acquisition
theoretically fixes complimentary strategic weaknesses for both companies:-
Pliant (no customers) and SanDisk (no enterprise IP).
Looking back at
SSD market
history -5 years ago tossed away a viable foothold in enterprise SSD
technology which had been established by an earlier acquired company
M-Systems -
preferring to focus instead on its MLC flash patents and IP. |
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Looking forward Pliant's
SSD controller will
enable SanDisk to enter fast growing markets without having to join the
SandForce inside set. | | | |
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