SanDisk brings 6Gbit/s connections to Lightning SSD line

SanDisk is extending its Enterprise Solid State (ESS) hard drive line with the addition of 6Gbit/s serial attached SCSI (SAS) drives, available this autumn.

The company said that the six new 2.5in Lightning Enterprise Flash Drives (EFDs) will be available as both single-level cell and multi-level cell drives. Designed for enterprise server use, the single-level cell drives will range in capacity from 100GB to 400GB, while the multi-level cell models will range from 200GB to 800GB.

SanDisk said that it is currently shipping the devices to OEMs, and the first systems are expected to reach the market in the third quarter of the year. The first of the 6Gbit/s SAS drives will be offered by HP in its ProLiant server lines.

"Our new Lightning drives advance SanDisk's industry-leading enterprise-class performance, reliability and endurance," said Greg Goelz, SanDisk enterprise storage solutions vice president and general manager.

"Meeting HP's stringent qualification requirements underscores our current leadership with EFDs as well as our commitment to continue to deliver breakthrough capabilities."

SanDisk's new offerings use technology the company gained in May with the $327m acquisition of ESS specialist Pliant Technology.

The new drives also arrive at a time when many pundits believe the enterprise SSD market is ready to take off. Recent analyst estimates have the market climbing as high as $7.2bn over the next few years.