Toshiba America Electronic Components has begun mass production of its first multi-level cell (MLC) NAND-flash-based solid-state drives (SSDs). The initial models to begin shipping this month are 128GB drives in a lightweight, 15 gram embedded module form factor.
The first generation drives achieve performance levels of 100MB/second read and 40MB/second write. Toshiba utilized a SATA II interface and an iMLC controller supporting fast read-write speed, parallel data transfer, and wear-leveling. As a result, Toshiba SSDs achieve overall PC Benchmark scores that are better than 5400 rpm and 7200rpm HDDs and comparable to selected SATA SLC NAND SSDs.
The Toshiba 64GB embedded module MLC NAND SSD is also ready for mass production. Additional models in 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch drive enclosures are scheduled to sample next month.http://www.toshiba.com
