除了 Western Digital 帶來的 5mm 混合硬碟，A*STAR 也不甘示弱推出了同類型的產品，主打功耗低和價格親民的兩個主要賣點。這個混合硬碟在 2.5 吋的身材中，塞進了 1TB 的普通硬碟和 32GB 的 SSD 固態硬碟。之所以能夠做到這個境界，是受益於 A*STAR 獨有的全新電機和 30 個額外設計專利，這些技術融合在一起共同減少了整個硬碟的電力消耗。功耗的降低也會帶來省電的好處，如果將其用在平板電腦上，可以增加 30% 的電池續航時間；當然，它也可以用在 Ultrabooks 或商務核心為主的存儲解決方案當中。
A*STAR 聲稱這款混合硬碟會比現在用在 Ultrabooks 中的 SSD 硬碟要便宜，當然目前而言價格可能還有些言之過早 -- A*STAR 的執行董事 Pantelis Alexopoulos 表示，至少還要等上 6 到 8 個月這款硬碟才能開始量產，所以到時候具體會落在什麼價位，SSD 硬碟價格是否已經隨著數量的增多而成本下降還很難說。
A*STAR's Data Storage Institute Launches Next Generation 5mm Hybrid Hard Disk Drive
SINGAPORE, 1 November 2012: The "A-Drive", one of the world's thinnest 5mm hybrid hard drive in a 2.5'' form factor, was officially launched by Mr. S. Iswaran, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade & Industry, to commemorate the Data Storage Institute's (DSI) 20 years of R&D in the area of data storage capabilities.
The "A-Drive" represents the next generation of storage innovation providing capacities of up to 1 TB Hard Disk Drive (HDD) with 32 GB Solid State Drive (SSD). This potentially allows the "A-Drive" to store over 250,000 songs in its 5mm body. The "A-Drive" also addresses limitations of the popular, yet expensive, flash-based SSD, as well as the conventional HDD for the consumer and business industry.
DSI's "A-Drive" is set to change the consumer and enterprise landscape, targeted specifically for tablets, ultrabooks, and future data centres. With its slim form factor, the "A-Drive" could fit into tablet devices, greatly expanding its storage space while extending battery life by up to 30%. The "A-Drive" will be a cheaper alternative to the SSDs currently used in ultrabooks, offering the same instant-on capability but with larger storage capacity. In addition, the "A-Drive" can be extended for enterprise storage applications, reducing power consumption by up to 50%, resulting in greener and more efficient data centres with better optimisation of the already limited rack space.
"Today, our year-long vision of creating a 5mm thin hybrid hard drive in 2.5'' form factor with increased storage capacity and reduced power consumption at a lower cost for manufacturers has become a reality," said Dr. Pantelis Alexopoulos, Executive Director of DSI. "We have managed to fit an amazing amount of innovation and advanced technology into a thinner, cheaper, and faster design, and we think the consumer and enterprise impact will be significant."
One of the main challenges in reducing the thickness of current 7mm hard disk drives by almost 30% without compromising on its performance and stability is its spindle motor design. To achieve a reduction in size, DSI researchers developed a proprietary axial field motor which runs smoother, quieter, more efficiently, lowering power consumption by up to 70% yet at a fraction of the cost of SSDs. The motor's design has been patented, along with 30 other unique designs for the "A-Drive". In addition, DSI has collaborated with multinational corporations and local companies, such as Seiko Instruments, Miyoshi, and Unisteel, to develop key components for the "A-Drive".
"Our capabilities today have been the result of two decades of collaboration with industry partners around the world. This has enabled DSI to develop groundbreaking solutions like the 'A-Drive'. We look forward to future partnerships as we continue our drive towards new innovations that will shape the data storage landscape," said Dr. Alexopoulos.
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