New drive uses 64 flash memory chips, aimed at the ultra-portable notebook PC market but expect to see them in other devices too.

Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics today announced that it had begun production of the first 64GB flash memory-based hard drive in a 1.8-inch form factor.

The drives are being targeted at the high-end ultra-portable notebook computer market according to Samsung director of flash marketing, Jim Elliott.

Solid-State Drives (SSDs) offer faster application start times, greater reliability and faster boot times. In notebook applications, they can improve battery life by as much as 20 percent.