Maxtor Introduces Ultra ATA/133

Maxtor has announced a new iteration of its highly successful Ultra ATA 100 technology. With transfer speeds of up to 133 MB/s, the Ultra ATA/133 interface, or "Fast Drives," promises to deliver breakneck speed at an affordable price. The Fast Drive interface is designed to provide seamless storage and playback of digital audio and video. Several partners have already signed on to license the technology and begin shipping products later this year.

According to the press release, Ultra ATA/100 technology already makes up 90 percent of all hard drives, CD-ROMs and DVDs. The new specification is available under non-disclosure agreements to selected hardware manufacturers. The company has plans to submit an open standard to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) T13 group during the final quarter of this year. Ultra ATA/133 is fully backward compatible with existing ATA products.

Chip maker VIA Technologies, Silicon Integrated Systems Corp, Promise Technologies, and Silicon Image have satisfied license agreements, and are currently preparing to adopt the technology for widespread production in upcoming chipsets. For more information, visit maxtor.com.