Silicon Motion Announces In-Vehicle Infotainment System FerriSSDs — First Automotive IVI-Grade Single Package Solutions

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation, a world-leading producer of NAND flash controllers for solid state storage devices, is announcing availability of its automotive grade PATA and SATA FerriSSD solutions. The FerriSSDs are designed to replace traditional PATA and SATA hard disk drives (HDDs) that are used in a host of embedded applications, including in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems.

FerriSSD banner 2

Silicon Motion integrates NAND flash with their industry-leading controllers in a small ball grid array (BGA) package, allowing the FerriSSD to attain faster performance, and with dramatically better reliability and endurance than traditional hard disk drives.  The automotive IVI FerriSSD devices support the AEC-Q100 specification, in addition to having an operating temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees Celsius.

SM FerriSSD

According to Nelson Duann, vice president of product marketing at Silicon Motion, “The increasing amount of technology being embedded into automobiles today — from real-time GPS, to streaming Internet multimedia content to interfacing with smartphones, requires better performing and more reliable IVI systems.  Our FerriSSD is a high performance, highly reliable storage solution that is easy to implement without compromising safety or performance.”

FerriSSD block diagram

The FerriSSDs are a complete embedded storage solution, including both hardware and firmware that are combined with proprietary technologies to support a wide array of capabilities that lead the industry.  These features include

  • Intelligent scan and data refresh with a built-in temperature sensor to efficiently enhance the reliability and extend the lifespan of the SSD
  • SSD LifeGuard monitor and remote firmware updatability to ensure that each drive remains healthy and  that it is utilizing the latest firmware version
  • SLC mode and Intelligent Clean, two complementary features that provide fast data access as well as high speed sustained data transfers
  • Hardware-level quick-erase and full-disk AES encryption for enhanced data protection
  • Full sleep / energy saver mode for lowered power consumption
  • System level protection from voltage surges to avoid a potential fire hazard
  • Every unit is tested and guaranteed to operate between -40 to +85 degrees Celsius
  • Automotive IVI compliance to the AEC-Q100 requirements
  • Package dimensions of 16mm x 20mm x 2mm (BGA package) with 1.0mm ball pitch
  • PATA and SATA interfaces with capacity options up to 64GB

FerriSSD components

In addition to automotive in-vehicle infotainment system usage,  Silicon Motion’s embedded FerriSSDs can be utilized in other  applications that include multi-function printers, point-of-sale devices and kiosks, thin client systems, medical equipment, HMI/factory automation, DVR video surveillance, and video arcade gaming.

FerriSSD general features

Silicon Motion’s lineup of embedded solutions includes the FerriSSDs, embedded graphics, and embedded eMMC devices.  These will all be showcased by Silicon Motion at the 2014 Electronica show in Munich, Germany.  The show runs November 11-14, and Silicon Motion will occupy booth #A6.431.

FerriSSD advanced features

You can view the FerriSSD lineup at Silicon Motion’s product page here.

Silicon Motion logo dark

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