Auto Parts Asia — October 2017

22 | AutoPartsAsia | OCTOBER 2017

INTERVIEW

Q: Automotive OEMs want the data

storage units to assimilate data,

edit, store and stream content

to, and from, popular formats,

including 4K video. How does

WDC cater to this market?

A: About one year to 18 months ago,

SanDisk decided to make automotive

grade, automotive-certified, flash

memory devices aimed at automotive

OEMs and Tier-1 companies. They

have two categories of products –

a removable memory in the form

of an SD card, and an onboard

embedded flash memory – designed

to handle automotive temperatures

and reliabilities with video- related

capability. Their read and write speeds

are designed accordingly for an

automotive environment of -40 to 85

and up to 105 degree C. WDC is now

well-prepared to handle automotive

storage requirements.

Q: In the automotive environment

flash memory devices must be

designed to operate at different

temperatures where processing

should be versatile enabling faster

upload and download.

A: I agree with you; basically most

of the flash being produced today

is a TLC type, and it is three bits per

cell. Three bits per cell give us huge

density and lower cost, and it is

designed for SSDs and mobile phones

where density is ever increasing.

TLC is one where you can store three

bits in each transistor cell. When

NAND flash was invented 15 years

Western Digital Bases

Growth On Data Storage

Western Digital Corporation (WDC), established in 1970, provides data storage technologies

and solutions. Its products range from portable and personal cloud storage to network-

attached storage and internal hard drives for business. In May 2016, WDC acquired SanDisk

Corporation to enhance the product portfolio and expand its global reach.

The company believes in “a culture that allows our employees to focus on doing their best

work, leading to high quality and innovative products, exceptional customer service and

operational excellence.”

In an informal chat with T Murrali of AutoParts Asia, Vivek Tyagi, Director, Business

Development and Sales, India and South East Asia, SanDisk India Device Design Centre,

describes the importance of storage in the digital world, its applications, development and

future trends. Edited excerpts: