Flash-card shuffler SanDisk might shimmy up the storage stack

Own-brand flash array could be on the cards

Blocks and Files Tech news blog Silicon Valley Confidential has reported on rumours that SanDisk, the maker of flash camera cards, Lightning brand PCIe flash cards and SSDs, is moving up the stack.

Let's step back for a moment and see if this adds up:

• We'll start with SanDisk partnering Toshiba in a flash foundry business
• Step 1 was in May 2011 when it bought the Pliant SSD controller startup business
• Step 2 was in February 2012 when it bought FlashSoft, a PCIe caching software supplier.
• In August 2012, step 3 was the touting of a VMware server cache.
• Step 4 was in December last year when it invested in all-flash array startup Whiptail.

These four steps happen one after the other... So where is SanDisk going with this? What is step number 5?

We thought it was SanDisk tech in Whiptail arrays. Now we hear along the silicon grapevine that, whisper it quietly, SanDisk is going into the flash array business itself and step 5 will happen later this year. We asked SanDisk about this but didn't expect to hear anything to confirm it.

And it met our expectations: "SanDisk does not comment on rumour or speculation so we cannot comment on this."

So there you have it: but whether or not a SanDisk array is coming, the signs look pretty promising. ®