New LSI HDD Preamplifier at 3.3Gbs

LSI Corporation announced the availability of the TrueStore PA8800, the company’s latest high-performance, low-power preamplifier integrated circuit (IC) specifically designed for use in 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch desktop and enterprise hard disk drives (HDDs).

The new PA8800 preamplifier utilizes LSI second generation silicon-germanium processes to deliver the industry’s fastest published operating speeds at 3.3 gigabits per second (Gbps), while consuming nearly 30 percent less power than the previous product generation designed for the same market segments. The innovative power-saving features of the PA8800 help to reduce the operating costs associated with electrical power and cooling, while the decreased heat dissipation delivers greater drive reliability.

"The preamplifier is an important contributor to the performance, power consumption, and cost of the total hard drive," said Shane Rau, IDC’s computing and storage semiconductor analyst. "In desktop applications, lower power means increased HDD reliability. In network server environments, with hundreds of hard drives running in a single server room, lowering power consumption can also result in significant cost savings through reduced electricity bills. Also, at 10-15 percent of the typical HDD’s chip content cost, choosing the right preamp is a factor in the drive’s final price competitiveness."

The PA8800 is designed for desktop and enterprise HDD markets and is configurable for use in both 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drives, offering HDD designers the flexibility to use a single preamplifier across multiple drive designs. The flexibility reduces development costs, speeds time-to-market and maximizes the performance of head technologies. The combined market for 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch desktop and enterprise HDDs is projected to exceed 339 million units in 2010.

"LSI is committed to delivering innovative IC solutions to HDD markets through our advanced processes and end-to-end silicon, software and systems expertise," said Ruediger Stroh, executive vice president, Storage Peripherals Group, LSI. "With operating speeds up to 3.3 Gbps — a greater than 30 percent increase over the previous generation, the PA8800 is a high-performance solution that easily surpasses users’ data rate requirements while offering optimal power-performance balance."

The TrueStore PA8800 preamplifier IC is available now to qualified customers.