Vendors pitch high-speed PCI Express memory cards

SanDisk, Sony and Nikon have issued a joint release touting a future CompactFlash memory card format.

Designed for use with larger files, such as professional photography images and HD video, the format seeks to take over as a next-generation platform for professional media systems and eventually filter down to the consumer market.

At the heart of the proposed format is the PCI Express interface. By moving to PCI from the current Parallel ATA interface, the companies suggest that maximum data transfer speeds can be increased from 167MB/s to as much as 500MB/s.

Additionally, the companies believe that the format will expand maximum storage capacity on CompactFlash cards to more than 2TB.

"This ultra high-speed media format will enable further evolution of hardware and imaging applications, and widen the memory card options available to CompactFlash users such as professional photographers," said CompactFlash Association chairman Shigeto Kanda.

"This next-generation format is expected to be widely adapted to various products, including those other than high-end digital SLR cameras."