Read-channel chip enables Flash-beating 1in HDD

Agere Systems is providing read-channel storage ICs to China-based manufacturer GS Magicstor for use in its 1in hard disk drive (HDD).

Agere Systems is providing read-channel storage ICs to China-based manufacturer GS Magicstor for use in its 1in hard disk drive (HDD).

Agere's low-power, high-performance read-channels offer the capabilities needed to maximise capacity and ensure long battery life in storage solutions for portable consumer electronics devices.

Magicstor is using Agere's TrueStore RC6500LP read-channel IC in its 1in, 4.4Gbyte hard disk drive.

This drive, one of the smallest developed for the portable market, has the capacity to store thousands of songs and photos for handheld digital music players and cameras, record feature-length, DVD-quality movies for mobile video devices, and enable multiple software applications in PDAs.

With fast read/write operating speeds, hard disk drives offer better performance and power efficiency for managing large multimedia files than competing Flash-based storage solutions.

"Magicstor is breaking the traditional concept of handheld storage by delivering much higher capacity than is typically available in today's storage devices", said David Wu, CEO of GS Magicstor.

"Consumers expect that their mobile devices won't suffer data loss or fast battery drain, and Agere's read channels offer an excellent combination of low power consumption and data storage reliability for our drives".

Agere's read-channels enable high area density on hard drive storage platters through superior signal-to-noise ratio performance, and are tailored to the power and size requirements of portable consumer electronics drives.

The RC6500LP chip offers four power modes - running, idle, standby and sleep - with a power savings of up to 50% over previous generation Agere read-channel devices, depending on the mode selected and operating speed.

These are critical factors for ensuring that compact drives can provide the durability and performance required to expand the market for high-capacity storage in portable consumer electronics products.

"Agere's TrueStore read channel has the signal integrity and reliability needed for hard drives to pack additional data in such a small space while helping extend battery life in portable electronics", said Joe O'Hare, Vice President of Agere's Storage Division.

"With the recent adoption of more HDD-based portable devices, such as digital audio and video players, Agere's storage solutions deliver the best-performing electronics for drive developers focused on the mobile market".

Agere is currently shipping its RC6500LP read channels in volume to multiple customers.

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