Intel and Hitachi-GST to Push SSDs onto Enterprise Markets

Intel Corp. and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) late on Monday disclosed plans to jointly develop and deliver Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Fibre Channel (FC) enterprise-class solid-state drives (SSDs) for servers, workstations and storage systems. Intel will concentrate on entry-level SSDs, whereas Hitach-GST will focus on enterprise-class solutions.

“We understand the needs of today's enterprise customers and are committed to delivering breakthrough products that increase their data center performance and reduce total cost of ownership,” said Shinjiro Iwata, executive vice president of strategic business operations at Hitachi GST.

The two companies will work together exclusively to deliver enterprise SSDs with SAS and FC interfaces, with the first products expected to be available in early 2010.

Hitachi GST will continue to provide its OEM customers with a comprehensive portfolio of enterprise storage products that includes traditional HDDs and forthcoming SSDs. Intel will continue to develop, market and sell its award-winning product lines of high-performance SATA SSDs.