东芝联合硬盘零件厂商，与西数希捷三足鼎立

日本厂商东芝(Toshiba)将在日本设置两个新的硬盘研发据点，在并购风潮正烈的硬盘市场，东芝此举颇有向那些规模较大的竞争对手宣战之意味。 今年3月，两家硬盘大厂Western Digital (WD)与日立环球储存科技(Hitachi GST，HGST)宣布合并，成为全球最大的硬盘制造商；紧接着在4月，希捷(Seagate)又宣布以14亿美元总价，收购三星(Samsung)的硬盘业务，企图保住第一大硬盘供货商宝座。 至于东芝则是在最近表示，该公司旗下的硬盘先进技术研发中心(HDD Advanced Technology Center)将于7月中旬开始运作，以加速更高单位面积储存密度(aerial density)──意指能在硬盘每平方英吋面积内储存更多位──的硬盘产品。 同时东芝也将开设一个硬盘制造技术研发中心(HDD Manufacturing Technology Center)，提升自我磁盘生产技术能力。 东芝的新研发中心，将与包括磁头(magnetic head)制造商TDK、磁盘制造商Showa Denko K.K.进行合作；不同于竞争对手希捷与WD的垂直整合策略，东芝是与硬盘关键零组件的第三方合作伙伴连成阵线。 在2004年，东芝成为全球首家采用垂直磁纪录(perpendicular magnetic recording)技术生产硬盘的厂商；该种技术目前已经几乎获得所有硬盘所采用，可望达到每平方英吋1Tbit的容量密度。 目前也有多家硬盘制造商(包括希捷与WD)正在合作开发下一代的硬盘技术，包括热辅助磁纪录(heat-assisted magnetic recording)、规则媒介(patterned media)，或是以上这两种技术的组合方案。东芝表示，与TDK、Showa Denko的合作，也将涵盖以上两种技术。 编译：Judith Cheng 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 参考英文原文： Toshiba opens two hard drive R&D centers，by Rick Merritt

相关阅读：
• SanDisk收购Pliant,拉开固态硬盘厂商整合序幕
• 硬盘厂商大合并暗示存储产业风险
• 传感器和硬盘看涨，xPad拉动平板电脑价格下跌gdXesmc

{pagination} Toshiba opens two hard drive R&D centers Rick Merritt SAN JOSE, Calif. – Toshiba Corp. will open in Japan two new R&D facilities for its hard disk drive business. The move amounts to a shot across the bow of Toshiba's larger competitors in the consolidating hard drive business. In March, Western Digital said it would acquire Hitachi GST to become the world's largest hard drive maker. In April, Seagate countered by bidding $1.4 billion to buy Samsung's hard drive business in an effort to hold on to its position as the top HDD vendor. Toshiba said it will open on July 16 its HDD Advanced Technology Center to accelerate development of products with higher aerial density, a term referring to the ability to pack more bits on a square inch of a drive. The company will open the same day its HDD Manufacturing Technology Center to develop enhanced drive-making capabilities. TDK Corp, which manufactures magnetic heads, and Showa Denko K.K., which makes disks, will collaborate with Toshiba in the new centers. Unlike competitors Seagate and Western Digital that are vertically integrated, Toshiba works with third parties for its key components. In 2004, Toshiba became one of the first drive makers to ship products using perpendicular magnetic recording technology, a technique now used in virtually all drives to achieve densities expected to hit 1Tbit per square inch. A number of drive makers—including Segate and WD--are now collaborating on the next big leap which could involve moving to heat-assisted magnetic recording, patterned media or a combination of the two techniques. Toshiba said it will work with TDK and Showa Denko on both technologies.