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Sandisk's 64GB integrated SSD is no bigger than a wafer-thin mint

Think your mobile device couldn't eat another byte, that it's stuffed full of storage? Surely it has room for a tiny little thin SSD? This is Sandisk's solution for storage in portable devices, the creation of a new class of storage: integrated SSD, or iSSD. Designed to be soldered right onto a motherboard, this drive is the size of a postage stamp, weighs the same as a paperclip, and will be available in sizes ranging from 4 to 64GB. Read and writes clock in at 160MB/sec and 100MB/sec, respectively, plenty fast enough to run a full OS, with an SATA interface ensuring broad compatibility. Early units are available now, with bulk orders shipping soon. Now, how many would you like? Just the one, monsieur?



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SanDisk Introduces World's Smallest 64GB Solid State Drive-First in New Embedded SSD Category

Category Serves Fast-Growing Market for Ultra-Thin Tablets and Mobile Computers

SanDisk® integrated SSD (iSSD) is smaller than a postage stamp and weighs less than a paper clip
Fastest high capacity embedded storage solution at this physical size-designed for high performance and reliability for mobile computing platforms
Broad range of capacities available to OEM customers-4GB to 64GB
Market research firm IDC establishes "Embedded SSD" category for highly portable consumer electronics devices
Flash Memory Summit 2010
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), the global leader in flash memory cards, today announced the first product in a new category of embedded solid state drives (SSD) that are smaller than a postage stamp and offer higher capacities and performance than existing storage solutions. The SanDisk® integrated SSD (iSSD), the first high-capacity product within this new category, is designed for use in fast-growing mobile computing platforms such as tablet PCs and ultra-thin notebooks.

"New embedded SSDs such as the SanDisk iSSD drive, which meet the stringent size requirements of small and light devices while offering greater performance, are designed to enable OEMs to deliver an enhanced user experience in their next-generation designs."
Computing platforms are responding to consumer demand for highly portable, ultra-thin, anywhere-anytime access to the Internet and their favorite content. The SanDisk iSSD drive is the first flash SSD device to support the industry standard SATA interface in a small BGA (Ball Grid Array) package that can be soldered onto any motherboard, and that is fast enough for use with advanced operating systems in next-generation mobile computing platforms.

"The new category of embedded SSDs should enable OEMs to produce tablets and notebooks with an unprecedented combination of thin, lightweight form factors and fast performance," said Doron Myersdorf, senior director, SSD marketing, SanDisk. "With our embedded flash storage leadership, SanDisk believes it is uniquely positioned to deliver the ultra compact SSD solutions needed by OEMs."

"The ultra-thin tablet and mobile computer markets are expected to experience tremendous growth over the coming years, and new advanced platforms will introduce new requirements for storage solutions," said Jeff Janukowicz, research manager, solid state drives, IDC. "New embedded SSDs such as the SanDisk iSSD drive, which meet the stringent size requirements of small and light devices while offering greater performance, are designed to enable OEMs to deliver an enhanced user experience in their next-generation designs."

The SanDisk iSSD offers 160MB/sec sequential read and 100MB/sec sequential write speeds for greater system responsiveness*. With no moving parts, the tiny, robust drive is designed to deliver the durability needed by portable devices that are frequently dropped or jostled. SanDisk iSSD offers a substantial level of design flexibility for OEMs who seek to create the next generation of tablets and ultra thin mobile devices based on the standard SATA interface.

The SanDisk iSSD is available now for sampling to OEMs, and is being evaluated by top-tier manufacturers. Measuring 16mm x 20mm x 1.85mm and weighing less than one gram, the drive uses a BGA form factor and a SATA interface, and is compatible with all leading operating systems. SanDisk iSSD is available in capacities ranging from 4 gigabytes (GB)1 to 64GB, with pricing dependent upon the quantity ordered.

About SanDisk

SanDisk Corporation is the global leader in flash memory cards – from research, manufacturing and product design to consumer branding and retail distribution. SanDisk's product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.

1 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes.
*Based on SanDisk internal testing of sequential read and write speeds; Performance may be lower depending upon host device, OS and application. 1 megabyte (MB) = 1 million bytes.

SanDisk's product and executive images can be downloaded from http://www.sandisk.com/corporate/media.asp
SanDisk's web site/home page address: http://www.sandisk.com

SanDisk and the SanDisk logo are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder(s).

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including expectations for our iSSD product, technology measurement standards, performance, applications, features, markets, and customers that are based on our current expectations and involve numerous risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate. Risks that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate include among others: the market demand for our products, including the iSSD product may grow more slowly than our expectations or there may be a slower adoption rate for these products in new markets that we are targeting, our products may not be available at the prices, or in the geographies or capacities that we anticipate, our products may not perform as expected and the other risks detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our annual report on Form 10-K and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. We do not intend to update the information contained in this press release.