Solid State Fight

 

Samsung Electronics and Intel are fiercely competing in the market of solid state drives (SSDs), which are an essential component of modern laptops and desktop computers.

According to industry sources on June 24, Intel reveled its new technology and strategy to target the global SSD market at Computex 2015 held in the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC).

[[{"fid":"11935","view_mode":"body_image_right","fields":{"format":"body_image_right","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"The SSD market share trend is holding steady between the two companies.","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"alt":"The SSD market share trend is predicted to hold steady between the two companies.","height":275,"width":550,"style":"width: 550px; height: 275px;","class":"media-element file-body-image-right"}}]]Intel revealed its new standard connector called U.2, which will increase the speed of SSD products, at the exhibition. The technology is an interface that supplements the weaknesses of existing SSD products, which are likely to have lag due to transmission speed limits. It has more than three times faster performance than existing technologies.

Also, Intel unveiled the SSD 750 series, which are suitable for high-capacity processing, including 4K video. It offers 2.5 times faster image processing than existing products, and is suitable for gaming mobile devices including gaming PCs, said the company.

Industry watchers predict that Intel will flood the market with its products with a price discount. It is believed that the company is trying to increase its market share even while lowering the sale prices of SSDs. DigiTimes, a small tech industry newspaper from Taiwan, said, “Through the price reduction strategy, Intel is making efforts to close the gap with Samsung Electronics.”

In fact, the average sale price of SSDs is continuously falling. According to market research institution IHS, the average sale price of a 256GB SSD last year stood at US$130 (144,079 won), a 24 percent decrease from US$171 (189,519 won) in 2013.

Intel is also cooperating with major companies such as Oracle, HP, and Microsoft in a bid to maintain its strength in the market of SSDs for enterprises.

Samsung Electronics has also carried out a quick response to increase its lead in the market. The company introduced 3-bit SSDs for the first time in 2013, and 3-bit products using V-NAND technology last year. This year, Samsung Electronics will release ultra-high capacity SSDs based on 3rd-gen V-NAND.

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