TDK Launches Embedded mSATA Solid-State Drive with 3 Gbps Serial ATA Support Suitable for Industrial Applications

The mSATA standard, established by the Serial ATA International Organization (SATA IO), was initially adopted mainly for digital consumer products such as tablet computers and netbooks. Because of its space-saving advantages, the standard is now gaining increased acceptance also for social infrastructure equipment and smart grid applications. Products designed for such uses must fulfill high requirements not only with regard to data reliability but also in terms of endurance, data security, reliability monitoring, and similar aspects.

The SMG3B series uses the TDK original SSD controller GBDriver RS3, featuring powerful error correction expandable to 44-bit ECC. Data reliability has been significantly enhanced thanks to a sophisticated power interruption data preservation algorithm and the auto refresh function. Another special feature is the data randomizer that varies data patterns during writing to reduce the risk of bit errors.

Thanks to the use of high-reliability Single Level Cell (SLC) NAND type flash memory and the global static wear leveling capability of the GBDriver RS3 that allows high-speed distributed writing, the drives achieve a storage life that meets the requirements of industrial equipment characterized by high usage frequency and long service periods.

Data security also has been enhanced. The ATA standard security functions of the SMG3B series allow the user to set a password to counter the risk of data leaks, tampering, or unauthorized copying. AES* 128-bit encryption. used when writing data to the flash memory, makes it impossible to analyze data by reverse engineering. The ATA Trim command allows complete data erasure which is vital when replacing or discarding a drive.