SANTA ANA, Calif., Dec. 11, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- STEC, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEC) has commenced shipments of its MACH8-IOPS solid state drives (SSDs) to OEM customers. MACH8-IOPS SSDs incorporate STEC's proprietary eight-channel ASIC controller which delivers significant improvements over enterprise-class hard disk drives (HDDs) in terms of data access and data throughput, and improved power consumption, while also achieving compelling total cost of ownership. A single MACH8-IOPS drive delivers over 10,000 random read input-output per second ("IOPS") and over 1,000 random write IOPS; the drive also provides more than 100 megabyte per second sustained sequential performance for both reads and writes. Enterprise servers expose drives to challenging workloads typified by randomly mixed reads and writes; under that rigorous workload, the MACH8-IOPS high performance SSDs perform 10-20 times faster than mechanical disk drives. By using the MACH8-IOPS, enterprise server OEMs can more than double system-level performance.
One of the most vital performance parameters in the enterprise is random data access speeds, classified in terms of latency and IOPS. The seek times and latency associated with hard disk drives prohibit rapid data access, thus creating a significant opportunity for enterprise-class SSDs to address the need for rapid data access in enterprise systems. Enterprise-class SSD is widely viewed as a new and permanent tier of high performance storage which addresses the challenge of storage input-output bottlenecks. Removing that bottleneck enables significant improvements in system-level performance, enabling the much better processor utilization as well as the realization of multi-core processor performance. High performance enterprise servers with SSD are optimized for virtualization, which ultimately renders a much higher performance system and lower system-level total cost of ownership.
Of equal importance in the enterprise is long-term dependable drive endurance. STEC is the only SSD vendor which incorporates Full Datapath Protection on all SSDs to ensure the highest level of data integrity. In combination, STEC implements advanced Flash management algorithms which render the highest levels of drive-level reliability, rendering years of endurance even in the most demanding of enterprise applications.
"As SSD adoption accelerates across multiple applications, the range of SSD requirements are expanding commensurately. As such, there is surging demand for different tiers of SSD, each tier optimizing vital product characteristics ranging from cost to performance, all with appropriate levels of reliability," said Patrick Wilkison, vice president of marketing and business development for STEC. "To meet the full spectrum of application requirements, we tier our SSD product line and deliver the right product performance levels for OEM customers in these important market segments."
"The enterprise storage market is particularly compelling because the advantages of embedded solid-state storage can be fully exploited," said Joseph Unsworth, principal research analyst at Gartner. "Enterprise-class SSDs provide vendors the greatest opportunity to differentiate through performance improvements with potentially lucrative benefits." As cited in the presentation "HDDs and Flash in Evolving Markets: Disruptive Battlefields or Spectrums of Opportunity" Unsworth gave in October 2007, Gartner expects the enterprise SSD market to reach $242 million by 2009.
Pricing and Availability
The MACH8-IOPS line of products is currently shipping to OEM customers in capacities of 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, and 256 gigabytes ("GB"). OEM pricing is available upon request. Detailed information about MACH8-IOPS SSD can be found at http://www.stec-inc.com/product/mach8.php.
About STEC
STEC, Inc., with headquarters in Santa Ana, California, designs, manufactures and markets high performance solid state drives for OEMs. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.stec-inc.com.
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Safe Harbor Statement
This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, statements concerning the performance of MACH8 products, potential customers sampling and purchasing MACH8 products and their level of interest, and our ability to address the growing SSD market. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements are detailed under "Risk Factors" in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission made from time to time by STEC, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and its current reports on Form 8-K. Other factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements include the following risks: MACH8 products may not perform in the manner anticipated, customer demand for such products may not grow as projected and new technological advancements in the field might produce more competitive products. STEC undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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