Fujitsu Computer Products of America

Fujitsu Introduces 2.5" Mobile Hard Disk Drives with Latest Breakthrough Technology

Fujitsu's new focus on the fast growing mobile drive market produces a new range of Ultra low profile 2.5" drives with capacities up to 40GB

Tokyo, October 30, 2001 — Fujitsu Limited, a worldwide leader in hard drive technology, today introduced its next-generation of 2.5" mobile hard drives. The new MHR series from Fujitsu incorporates new technologies for both head and media, which have been previously highlighted in Fujitsu's recent magnetic recording technology breakthrough that will enable hard disk drives to eventually achieve recording densities up to 300 Gigabits per square inch

The new mobile series is the next step for Fujitsu in its quest for market leadership in the fast-growing and diverse mobile HDD market that includes laptop computers, consumer electronic devices, audio-visual products, GPS/In car entertainment systems, and other non-PC applications, including some specialized server application environments.

The new MHR Series from Fujitsu supports the Ultra ATA/100 interface and with 20GB per platter offers capacities of 10, 20, 30, and 40GB. Incorporating Fujitsu's second-generation head load/unload and unique "Silent HDD" technologies, the new mobile drives offer exceptional performance with a 32.5MB/s (max) transfer rate and industry-leading track to track seek time of 1.5ms. Weighing just 99g, with a 4,200RPM spindle speed and 2MB buffer - and with 900G of non-operating shock tolerance - the MHR hard disk drives are ideal for intensive mobile computing applications and rugged environments.

Fujitsu's "Silent HDD" technology results from its use of Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) motors which offer improved reliability in harsh environments, as well as greatly reduced acoustic noise and non-repeatable run out (NRRO).

In addition, as part of Fujitsu's environmental philosophy and a tangible result of its "Green Life 21" initiative, the MHR Series is produced using lead-free solder, the first 2.5" HDD series to be manufactured by this process.  (For more information on Fujitsu's environmental practices, see http://eco.fujitsu.com/en/.)

"The new MHR Series from Fujitsu continues the very clear trend of Fujitsu bringing to bear the full array of its technological expertise, and translating that expertise into drives that will no doubt be among the very best in their class," said Bill Ress, research analyst at Data Storage Review.  "At this pace of innovation and product development, Fujitsu is clearly serious about its quest for leadership in the 2.5" mobile hard drive market and is well-positioned to increase its market position."

"Fujitsu's new MHR series of mobile hard drives is a credit to the strength of our technology and our determination to be #1 in this market," said Sam Sawyer, director of storage products group, Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc.  "The drives incorporate many of Fujitsu's technological innovations to provide more storage space in a smaller, quieter, more reliable drive.  Simply put, that means Fujitsu is delivering today one of the best 2.5"mobile hard disk drives available."

With the implementation of improved head load/unload technology, this generation of Fujitsu mobile drives offers 900G of non-operating shock tolerance making them ideal for rugged applications. As the first drive manufacturer to produce a 2.5" HDD in a 9.5mm form factor incorporating both head load/unload and 'SilentHDD' technology, Fujitsu continues to produce leading, innovative mobile drive technology designs.

Technology Innovations

Innovative Read Head Technology

Fujitsu's new read head technology improves the signal to noise ratio and the sensitivity of the read head, enabling the detection of lower amplitude and more closely spaced data signals.  The resulting areal density increase achieves a remarkable 20GB of data storage per 2.5" diameter platter. Further advances in this technology are expected to lead to 2.5" hard disk drives with storage capacities exceeding 100GB, enough to record more than 20 DVD quality movies, within the next 2 years.

Synthetic Ferrimagnetic Media

Fujitsu's Synthetic Ferrimagnetic media (SFM) employ alternating layers of magnetic and nonmagnetic materials that result in improved thermal stability.  This new SFM technology provides an increase of up to three times the recording density that was possible with previous generation media technology.

Thermal decay, which can make recorded information unstable or ultimately causes loss of information, had previously been a bottleneck in the development of higher density technology.  SFM technology allows thermally stable recording with high resolution.  More information on this technology can be found at http://pr.fujitsu.com/en/news/2001/08/20-1.html.

These leading edge technologies give Fujitsu a major advantage in developing and rapidly bringing to market the most advanced, high-capacity, highly reliable and low-cost storage solutions.  Fujitsu sees this advantage being realized not only in traditional computing and server markets, but also in fast-growing markets and applications that require massive storage volumes, including audio, gaming, and personal video recorders.  

Availability

The new MHR series from Fujitsu is currently in evaluation cycles at key OEM customers.  Volume shipments will commence in early 1Q02.  

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About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is a leading provider of Internet-focused information technology solutions for the global marketplace. Its pace-setting technologies, best-in-class computing and telecommunications platforms, and worldwide corps of systems and services experts make it uniquely positioned to unleash the infinite possibilities of the Internet to help its customers succeed. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 5.48 trillion yen for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001.
For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com

About Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc.

Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. (FCPA) conducts engineering and marketing activities in San Jose, CA and sales operations throughout the United States. FCPA's current product and service offerings include hard disk drives, tape drives, magneto-optical drives, scanners and scanner maintenance. FCPA is located at 2904 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, CA, 95134. For more information about Fujitsu products and services, call us at 800-626-4686 or 408-432-6333.
For more information, please see: http://www.fcpa.fujitsu.com

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