Toshiba Launches New Generation Solid State Hybrid Drives

Toshiba’s new SSHD series unleashes NAND capabilities, delivering capacity and speed

Toshiba: Solid State Hybrid Drives (SSHD) (Photo: Business Wire)

TOKYO--()--Toshiba Corporation’s (TOKYO: 6502) Semiconductor & Storage Products Company announced the launch of its new solid state hybrid drive (SSHD) series, which is equipped with Toshiba's 19nm second-generation NAND flash memory. The new “MQ02ABD100H” SSHD offers 1TB[1] capacity in a drive 9.5mm high, while the “MQ02ABF050H” offers a capacity of 500GB in a 7 mm high form factor. Sample shipments will begin from February.

SSHDs deliver better performance compared to traditional hard disk drives (HDD), because the drives feature NAND that is used as the secondary cache during operation. This means users see improvement to the drive’s performance compared to traditional HDDs, while still maintaining the equivalent capacities of traditional HDDs.

The “MQ02ABD100H” and “MQ02ABF050H” are suitable for high-performance PCs like mainstream and gaming PCs, while the “MQ02ABF050H”'s height of 7mm makes it suitable for ultra-thin and ultra-portable computing devices.

Toshiba’s new generation SSHDs merge the NAND controller function into the main HDD controller chip. This all-in-one system on chip (SoC) for the “MQ02ABD/ABF-H” series enables more integrated management of the HDD and NAND operation compared to previous Toshiba SSHDs (“MQ01ABD-H” and “MQ01ABF-H” series) that featured separate NAND and HDD controller chips. With its engineering expertise and experience, Toshiba combines its NAND, HDD and SSD technologies to develop and produce SSHDs. Toshiba’s NAND controller technologies unleash the NAND capabilities such as defective block management, ECC (Error Correction Code), conversion of logical block address and wear-leveling.

The new generation SSHDs also offer compatibility in both physical size and interface with traditional 2.5-inch HDDs. In other words, SSHDs allow for improved physical space efficiency within a system compared to alternatives that use a discrete SSD cache drive alongside an HDD. When using SSHDs, systems can access the drive through a single interface without the need for specific device driver software. Because it is a single unit, the SSHD is a lower cost alternative to SSDs while offering similar performance.

Notes:
[1] Definition of capacity: Toshiba defines a megabyte (MB) as 1,000,000 bytes, a gigabyte (GB) as 1,000,000,000 bytes and a terabyte (TB) as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. A computer operating system, however, reports storage capacity using powers of 2 for the definition of 1GB = 230 = 1,073,741,824 bytes and therefore shows less storage capacity. Available storage capacity (including examples of various media files) will vary based on file size, formatting, settings, software and operating system, such as Microsoft Operating System and/or pre-installed software applications, or media content. Actual formatted capacity may vary.

Follow this link for more on Toshiba SSHDs.
http://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/product/storage-products/client-sshd.html

Customer Inquiries:
Storage Products Division
Tel: +81-3-3457-2445
http://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/contact.html

Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice.

About Toshiba

Toshiba Corporation, a Fortune Global 500 company, channels world-class capabilities in advanced electronic and electrical product and systems into five strategic business domains: Energy & Infrastructure, Community Solutions, Healthcare Systems & Services, Electronic Devices & Components, and Lifestyles Products & Services. Guided by the principles of The Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, “Committed to People, Committed to the Future”, Toshiba promotes global operations towards securing “Growth Through Creativity and Innovation”, and is contributing to the achievement of a world in which people everywhere live in safe, secure and comfortable society.

Founded in Tokyo in 1875, today’s Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of over 590 consolidated companies employing over 200,000 people worldwide, with annual sales surpassing 6.5 trillion yen (US$63 billion).
To find out more about Toshiba, visit www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm

Contacts

Media Inquiries:
Toshiba Corporation
Semiconductor & Storage Products Company
Koji Takahata, +81-3-3457-4963
semicon-NR-mailbox@ml.toshiba.co.jp

Release Summary

Toshiba has launched its new solid state hybrid drive (SSHD) series, which is equipped with Toshiba's 19nm second-generation NAND flash memory. Sample shipments will begin from February.

Contacts

Media Inquiries:
Toshiba Corporation
Semiconductor & Storage Products Company
Koji Takahata, +81-3-3457-4963
semicon-NR-mailbox@ml.toshiba.co.jp