Imation Brings Industry-Leading Solid State Drive Technology to Worldwide Markets
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Strategic Relationship with Mtron Combines Superior Performance and SSD Technology with Imation Marketing, Distribution and Technical Service Expertise
OAKDALE, Minn., Jan. 4 -- Imation Corp. (NYSE:IMN), a worldwide leader in removable data storage, today announced a strategic relationship with Mtron Co., Ltd., a pioneer in Solid State Drive (SSD) technology and performance. Together, the two companies will develop and market SSD solutions with an initial focus on high-growth areas including portable computing and enterprise markets. The strategic relationship combines Mtron's leading technology innovation, R&D and manufacturing with Imation's global marketing, distribution and technical service expertise. Working together, the two companies will make an early entrance in the SSD market with Imation brand SSD products "powered by Mtron," to be released in the first calendar quarter of 2008.
"Solid state drive technology is quickly moving from niche industrial markets to enterprise and mobile business applications due to its high performance, reliability and energy efficiency," said Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, vice president, Global Commercial Business, R&D and Manufacturing, Imation Corp. "Mtron has taken an early lead with its industry-leading SSD offerings. We are confident that the combination of Mtron's technology expertise with Imation's storage expertise and global distribution capabilities will quickly advance SSD in the enterprise and mobile computing markets."
"Mtron has dedicated itself to advancing SSD technology and delivered the fastest performing products on the market today," said Steve Jeon, CEO of Mtron. "Imation's proven data storage leadership makes our strategic relationship a natural fit as together we bring this superior SSD technology to more users worldwide."
SSD is a data storage technology utilizing solid state memory. Without motors or moving parts, SSDs are faster and more reliable than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), and also offer lower heat and noise generation while providing greatly improved durability and shock resistance. Imation's initial offerings will consist of two SSD product lines -- Imation SSD MOBI 3000 powered by Mtron for mobile and notebook PC users, and Imation SSD PRO 7000 powered by Mtron for enterprise computing users.
The Imation SSD MOBI 3000 provides maximum read speeds of 100MB per second, maximum write speeds of 80MB per second, and random access time of 0.1ms, making it the fastest SSD product in the consumer market. It also offers twice the boot speeds of current HDDs and works at significantly faster speeds for large rendering tasks such as multi-tasking, Photoshop and CAD. Because it uses flash memory for low power consumption, is quieter and rugged for outside environments, the MOBI 3000 is ideally suited for mobile computing.
The Imation SSD PRO 7000 is a high performance flash memory storage device designed to eliminate system bottlenecks often experienced with conventional HDDs. Optimized for enterprise and IT infrastructure, the PRO 7000 can rapidly perform high capacity transactions utilizing Mtron's unique controller technology with maximum read speeds of 120MB per second, maximum write speeds of 90MB per second, and random access time of less than 0.1ms. With an enhanced solid state design, the PRO 7000 provides enhanced reliability and write endurance with wear leveling, bad block management and error correction code. With a more than 45 percent reduction in total cost of ownership as compared to conventional HDD-based systems, the PRO 7000 can withstand external shocks and vibrations, and offers Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) greater than one million hours.
More information regarding regional product availability and manufacturer suggested retail prices (MSRPs) will be announced separately in the coming months. For additional information about Imation's SSD products, go to www.imation.com/.
About Mtron, Co., Ltd.
Mtron Co., Ltd. is the new pioneer in the Solid State Drive (SSD) world. Mtron is targeting wide application areas with its high performance Flash SSD, ranging from the portable consumer electronics market such as notebook PCs and camcorders to enterprise and the industrial high-end market. For more information, visit http://mtron.net/.
About Imation Corp.
Imation Corp. is the only company in the world solely focused on the development, manufacture and supply of removable data storage products spanning the four pillars of magnetic, optical, flash and removable hard disk storage. With more than 50 years of data storage leadership beginning with the development of the world's first computer tape, in 2006 Imation proudly marked its 10th anniversary as an independent company. In addition to the Imation brand, Imation Corp.'s global brand portfolio includes the Memorex brand, one of the most widely recognized names in the consumer electronics industry, famous for the slogan, "Is it live or is it Memorex?" Imation is also the exclusive licensee of the TDK Life on Record brand, one of the world's leading recording media brands. And as co-developer of Nickelodeon's Npower brand of consumer electronics, Imation helps empower kids of all ages to use the latest technology. Additional information about Imation and its brands is available at www.imation.com/ or by calling 1-888-466-3456.
FCMN Contact: bdallen@imation.com
Source: Imation Corp.
CONTACT:
Mary Rawlings-Taylor
of Imation Corp.,
+1-651-704-6796,
mjrawlings-taylor@imation.com;
or Jamie Ernst,
+1-210-495-5757,
jernst@brodeur.com,
or Lisa Grau,
+1-760-635-8640,
lgrau@brodeur.com,
both of Brodeur
for Imation Corp.
Web site: www.imation.com/
http://mtron.net/
