Intel and Micron Technology have developed technology for a high¬speed solid-state drive that's five times faster than current products used in consumer and professional devices ranging from handheld computers and notebooks to digital cameras and camcorders.

The NAND flash memory chips developed jointly by the two companies can reach speeds of up to 200MB per second for reading data and 100MB per second for writing data. Current memory chips have maximum read-write speeds of 40MB and 20MB, respectively. Solid-state drives are used for storage today in just about any electronic device that holds data. Current technology is fast enough for handling photos and standard video in computers or an Apple iFod, but performance problems become an issue in handling high definition video, which consumers are expected to start demanding as they become accustomed to watching HD televisions. HDTVs are among the hottest selling consumer electronics products today.

With HD video files requiring multiple gigabytes of storage, the need for technology that can move the content in and out of a storage device quickly, so it can be played on a handheld gadget or recorded in a camcorder, becomes critical. Other applications include digital photography, where faster storage would translate into faster shutter speeds for sports photography, for example.