Samsung plans to launch within this year a flash memory-based solid-state disk that boasts a 256G byte capacity and high-speed interface, media reported Monday.(Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Samsung plans to launch within this year a flash memory-based solid-state disk that boasts a 256G byte capacity and high-speed interface, media reported Monday.

    The drive has the same form factor as a 9.5-millimeter high 2.5-inch hard-disk drive for which it is designed to be a drop-in replacement.

    Samsung, which is one of the world's largest makers of flash memory chips, is eager to see the drives become popular as their widespread use will represent a big new market for its chips.

Employees of Samsung Group walk in front of the company's logo at its headquarters in Seoul April 22, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The prototype drive announced by the company has a read speed of 200M bytes per second (Bps) and a sequential write speed of 160M Bps, said Samsung.

    Samples of the drive will be available to customers from September with mass production due by the end of the year.

Employees of Samsung Group work at the company's headquarters in Seoul April 22, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    A version with a similar form factor to a 1.8-inch drive is also expected to be available in the fourth quarter of the year, the company said.

    Solid-state disks (SSDs) are an emerging type of storage device that use flash memory chips in place of the spinning magnetic disks used in hard-disk drives. The memory chips mean the drives are more sturdy and typically have a higher performance but the per-byte storage cost is also much higher, so they are generally more expensive.

    (Agencies)