Toshiba Europe Storage Device Division today reinforced its leadership in automotive grade hard disk drives (HDD) as it unleashed two new models for the automotive sector. The single platter 80GB MK8050GAC and 40GB MK4050GAC drives will offer in-car entertainment and information systems the vital storage capacity boost required for 3D GPS navigation, mp3 playback, digital video and gaming.
High performance HDDs have become a pivotal component for next generation automotive electronic systems. According to research firm IDC, the market for automotive HDDs will reach 8.5 million units sold by 20091. Automotive-grade HDDs offer substantial advantages for OEM system designers compared with solid state memory. Although solid state memory delivers a durable storage solution in resilient small form factors, it becomes a highly expensive solution when capacity demand hits double digit figures.
In-car systems are required to operate efficiently and effectively in extreme environments in order to avoid system downtime and data loss. Toshiba’s new HDDs can operate at altitudes of -300m to 5,500m, where air is often thin thanks to improvements in the aerodynamic technology utilised on the magnetic head slider. In addition, to ensure the disc spindle operates in sub-freezing and high temperatures, the operating temperature range of Toshiba’s automotive drives range between -22°to 185°F (-30°to +85°C) whilst the spindle motor runs at 4,200rpm.