Hybrid hard disc drives (HDD) containing a built-in layer of NAND flash memory may offer the advantage of consolidated storage for ultrabook laptops, but cache solid state drives (SSD) will remain the mainstream ultrabook storage solution, said market research firm IHS.
Cache SSDs will see their shipments rise even more this year to 2.39 crore units, up by a 2,660 percent from just 8.64 lakh units in 2011. Shipments will then jump to 6.77 crore units next year, cross the hundred-million-unit mark in 2015, and hit 16.30 crore units by 2016, claimed IHS.
In comparison, shipments of hybrid HDDs will reach 20.00 lakh units this year, up from 10 lakh units in 2011, on their way to reaching 2.50 crore units by 2016.
A third form of flash storage, dedicated SSDs that contain no cache component, will attain shipments this year of 1.80 crore in consumer applications, gradually ramping up to 6.90 crore units in 2016.
Consisting of a traditional hard disc drive and an integrated NAND flash layer within one self-contained form factor, hybrid HDDs are a new storage option being considered for the super-thin ultrabooks.
In contrast to hybrid HDDs, cache SSDs are employed as a discrete, separate memory component alongside a hard disc drive, with both elements existing side by side, not together in one housing unit.
"The cache SSD solution was first hit upon by PC manufacturers because the use of a dedicated solid state drive proved too expensive when passed on to consumers in the retail market," said Ryan Chien, analyst for memory and storage, IHS. "However, a combined physical hard disc drive with a smaller cache component allowed PC makers to reap the advantages of faster responsiveness and larger capacities while keeping costs down."
This article originally appeared on the
EE Times India website.
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