Embedded SSDs go connector-less

Apple shall rejoice

SanDisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) is first on the market with SSD’s that support the new standard.  Slim is in – and scrapping the SATA-connector helps.

Few people have heard about the new SATA µSSD specification but now the first products are available. The specification basically reduces SSDs to a single module with a BGA (Ball Grid Array) interface that allows you to implement an µSSD compatible drive without using a connector.

Scrapping the connector not only simplifies the design, but it also allows for thinner device.  The first BGA devices are SanDisk’s iSSD drives and comprise SSDs with capacities from 8GB to 128GB, according to a press release from SanDisk.  The BGA package sits directly on the motherboard, allowing for form factors as small as 16mm x 20mm x 1.2mm (up to 32GB)/1.4mm (for 64GB) and 16mm x 20mm x 1.85mm (for 128GB).

“The market for tablets and ultrathin computing devices continues to grow along with the need for small form factor storage solutions,” said Mladen Luksic, president, SATA-IO. “We are excited to have industry-wide support for the µSSD specification and look forward to seeing many µSSD-based products available in the near future.”

The number of media tablets shipped worldwide is expected to grow from 17.8 million units in 2010 to 53.5 million units in 2011. The five-year CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) is 48.5 percent, according to the IDC 1Q11 Media Tablet and eReader Tracker Forecast.S|A

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