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SanDisk intros new solid-state drive for digital signage, kiosk OEMs

SanDisk Corp., a global provider of flash storage solutions, has introduced its new SanDisk Z400s SSD, a cost-effective solid-state drive designed to replace hard-disk drives in computing platforms and embedded applications such as digital signage.

June 2, 2015

SanDisk Corp., a global provider of flash storage solutions, has introduced its new SanDisk Z400s SSD, a cost-effective solid-state drive designed to replace hard-disk drives in computing platforms and embedded applications such as digital signage.

According to SanDisk, PCs and embedded systems need consistent, reliable access to storage in order to meet business demands.

"The Z400s outperforms HDDs by 20 to 1, while providing 5 times the reliability with 20 times lower average power consumption, all at a price point on par with HDDs," the company said.

The SanDisk Z400s SSD joins the company's existing portfolio of flash-based solutions that are designed to deliver user experiences and reliability at an affordable price point.

"The Z400s represents a feat of engineering that addresses the needs of two distinct markets—PC OEM manufacturers and embedded application designers," said Rizwan Ahmed, senior director of product marketing, client platform solutions, SanDisk. "With a single architecture, SanDisk is able to provide OEMs with an affordable solution for displacing HDDs in today's cutting-edge consumer devices, and help embedded application designers avoid overpaying for un-needed space — all while delivering the peak performance and high-reliability that only SSDs can supply."

According to SanDisk, IDC forecasts that the intelligent systems market will ship more than 2 billion units in 2019, with the industrial segments growing the fastest. The company said that digital signage, security surveillance, POS or kiosk environments are key areas where SanDisk SSDs can provide major benefits over HDDs, particularly in applications where the storage requirements are relatively short-term — meaning that data is frequently cleared from the device.

The company said its Z400s can withstand up to 1.7 million hours of continual use, delivering greater stability during peak activity, underscoring its high-endurance design and reliability. Available in multiple form factors and capacities as low as 32GB, the new SanDisk Z400s SSD is designed to meet embedded systems applications designers' performance, reliability, size, low power, interface and scalability requirements for several use cases, including digital signage and kiosks: The rise of big data analytics is driving the use of digital signage and kiosks for transportation, advertising, retailers and more, the company said, and the Z400s delivers flash storage technology so that users and manufacturers of digital signage equipment can trust their solution will consistently provide valuable and current information to all audiences.

"Intelligent systems continue to play a critical role in disrupting traditional industries as connectivity, flash and sensor technology allows us to drive more value for applications and data," said Mario Morales, vice president of IDC's Enabling Technologies and Semiconductors research group. "The value chain for the embedded market is broad and fragmented across a large set of industries that span decades of development and commercialization."

The SanDisk Z400s is sampling with customers immediately in mSATA, 2.5-inch SATA and M.2 (2242 and 2280) form factors, in capacities of 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB, the company said.