SanDisk is steering into the connected vehicle market after announcing a new SD card and iNAND embedded flash drive for car manufacturers.
The Fortune 500 company says the new storage devices are designed to handle applications, such as 3D mapping and augmented reality, in navigation systems and entertainment systems, particularly when driving in uneven or rough roadways.
The storage devices, which add to SanDisk’s existing iNAND EFD, microSD card and SD card portfolios, can store up to 64GB of data and are resistant to temperatures from -40°C to 85°C.
SanDisk added that the iNAND drive alone supports the eMMC 4.51 HS200 specification and up to 30 sequential writes/sec and 120MB/s sequential read.
"Flash is enabling dramatic innovation in the auto industry and is expected to transform the car into one of the most connected devices we own," Drew Henry, SVP and general manager at SanDisk’s Mobile and Connected Solutions, said.
"Our vertical integration and deep flash expertise uniquely enables us to architect our automotive grade storage solutions to provide the responsiveness needed to support new and emerging connected applications, as well as offer the reliability and trusted performance that’s absolutely critical for the automotive market."
Gartner predicts that connected cars, which include in-vehicle services and automated driving capabilities, will account for more than 250 million cars on the road by 2020.
Richard Robinson, Director of the Global Automotive Practice at Strategy Analytics, added: "It is increasingly becoming clear that tier 1 auto makers will no longer just compete on the road-performance, comfort and gas mileage they offer, but also the infotainment and connected car experiences they deliver to drivers."
