SST Announces 64M & 96M CompactFlash Cards
Addition of High-Density CompactFlash Cards Provide New Market Opportunities for
SST
SUNNYVALE, Calif., October 18, 1999 — SST (Silicon Storage Technology, Inc., NASDAQ: SSTI)
today announced the addition of 64 MByte and 96 MByte CompactFlash cards to its successful,
high-performance CompactFlash card family. SST developed the 64 MByte and 96 MByte cards to
meet the market demand for increased storage capacity in applications such as digital cameras, MP3
audio players and personal digital assistants. At the same time, the high-density cards also allow
SST to target new application areas, such as the high-performance networking market and other
applications that require a large amount of storage capability combined with a small form factor. The
new cards bring SST's CompactFlash card offering to seven cards spanning densities of 8 MByte to
96 MByte. The new cards are based on SST's patented ATA controller technology and flash memory
design expertise. Because of this technology, SST's CompactFlash cards offer the industry's fastest
sustained write performance, up to 1.4 MByte/sec.
The new 64 MByte and 96 MByte cards are ideal for expanded storage in applications such as
digital cameras, both in the consumer and professional markets. A recent report by InfoTrends
Research Group shows that worldwide digital camera sales will top 3.6 million units in 1999, growing
at an annual rate of 36% through 2003. Since most consumer digital cameras come with only an 8
MByte density CompactFlash card, users are quick to upgrade to higher storage capacity. SST's 64
MByte and 96 MByte cards are an ideal solution to expand storage in digital cameras.
SST's 64 MByte and 96 MByte CompactFlash cards are also suited for new, unique applications
such as high-end networking equipment, where the small and rugged form factor of the cards is
ideal. Networking routers, for example, require removable memory to store large program files. Until
now, PCMCIA cards or built-in hard disk drives were primarily used to store files in networking
equipment. SST's new 64 MByte and 96 MByte CompactFlash cards now provide adequate storage
capability for networking equipment and are less costly and smaller in size than PCMCIA cards and
magnetic media hard disk drives.
"The CompactFlash card market is continuing to grow at an astronomical rate," said Samuel
Nakhimovsky, product marketing manager of Flash Card Products at SST. "According to a recent
report by International Data Corporation, shipments for CompactFlash cards are expected to
increase at a compound annual growth rate of 62% through 2003. In order to keep this growth rate
accelerating, new application areas for CompactFlash cards also need to expand. Our new 64 MByte
and 96 MByte cards fit in perfectly with this model. Not only are the 64 MByte and 96 MByte cards
ideal for expanded storage in digital cameras, they also allow us to target new and unique
application areas. In the next few years as densities continue to increase, I expect to see
CompactFlash cards being used in more and more non-traditional application areas."
SST's CompactFlash card family leverages the company's years of experience in ATA controller
development and flash memory design. SST's CompactFlash cards utilize the company's proprietary
Flash File System firmware that contributes to fast data access speeds and higher reliability. The
company's CompactFlash cards achieve the industry's fastest sustained write performance through
SST's unique implementation of the dual port SRAM buffer, direct memory access (DMA), and Flash
File System.
SST is an executive member of the CompactFlash Association (CFA) and the company's family of
CompactFlash cards are compliant with CFA specifications for compatibility and interoperability. In
addition, SST CompactFlash cards provide industry-standard PCMCIA-ATA compatibility and
functionality. The 50-pin CompactFlash card, measuring 36.4 mm x 42.8 mm x 3.3 mm, the industry
standard for small form factors, can easily be slipped into a passive 68-pin Type II adapter card that
fully meets PCMCIA electrical and mechanical interface specifications. SST's family of CompactFlash
cards are available in 8, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64 and 96 MByte densities and support both 5.0-Volts and
3.3-Volts power supply for read/write.
Pricing and Availability
Sample and production quantities of SST's 64 MByte and 96 MByte CompactFlash cards are
available now. SST's 64 MByte and 96 MByte CompactFlash cards are priced at $160 and $240
each, respectively, in 1,000 unit quantities. For further information about high-volume pricing, please
contact SST.
About Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, SST designs, manufactures and markets a diversified range
of nonvolatile memory solutions, based on proprietary, patented SuperFlash technology, for the
computer, communications and consumer markets.
SST's product families include low-cost, high-functionality flash memory components, CompactFlash
card mass storage products and 8-bit microcontrollers with on-chip flash memory. SST also offers its
SuperFlash technology for embedded applications through its world-class manufacturing partners
and technology licensees IBM, Motorola, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.,
Seiko Epson Corp., TSMC-Acer Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TASMC) and Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC). Further information on SST can be found on the
company's website at ssti.com. |
