Hitachi "Pixie Dust" brings high capacity to HP notebook users.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies is working with HP to enable the world's highest-capacity notebook PC. Using the Hitachi Travelstar 80GN with patented "Pixie Dust" technology, the HP Pavilion ze5300 will be the first notebook to offer a record-breaking 80 GB of storage.

The 80GN's new 8 MB cache also means HP Pavilion users will experience the industry's fastest 4200 RPM notebook drive. HP is expected to make its new Pavilion ze5300 series notebook PCs with the Travelstar 80GN available in early March.

"The 80GN is the most technologically advanced mobile drive in the industry; this industry-leading design allows us to meet the exacting standards of HP Pavilion notebook PCs," said Bill Healy, mobile business unit general manager, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. "The design excellence in both Hitachi's and HP's products is a sure bet to please increasingly sophisticated and digitally-engaged end-users who require outstanding notebook features, including greater performance and capacities."

The Travelstar offers notebook PC users proven reliability, high shock robustness and low power consumption. In addition, the Travelstar provides users with a superior audio experience by continuing its leadership as the quietest mobile hard drive; the new drive reduced operating acoustics by as much as four decibels from its previous generation. The Hitachi Travelstar 80GN is also available in 20- and 40-gigabyte capacities.

"The ultra high capacity and performance that Hitachi provides with the Travelstar 80GN will continue HP's promise to offer consumers the latest in mobile technology," said Kevin Frost, vice president of marketing, HP Personal Systems Group. "The HP Pavilion ze5300 is an all-in-one notebook PC with advanced multimedia and entertainment capabilities that will enable users to benefit from the ample capacity on Hitachi's new drive."

Hitachi broke its own capacity record on the new Travelstar by enabling up to 70 billion bits of data to be written on each square inch of disk space. Hitachi achieved this by adding another coating of "Pixie Dust"--or an additional ruthenium/magnetic layer to create a five-layer sandwich called laminated-"Pixie Dust."

"Pixie Dust" is a data storage breakthrough achieved by sandwiching a three-atom-thick layer of the element ruthenium--a precious metal similar to platinum--between two magnetic layers, technically called antiferromagnetically-coupled media. That only a few atoms could have such a dramatic impact caused scientists to refer to the ruthenium layer informally as "Pixie Dust."

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies was founded in 2003 as a result of the strategic combination of Hitachi's and IBM's storage technology businesses. The company's vision is to enable users to fully engage in the digital lifestyle by providing access to large amounts of storage capacity in formats suitable for the office, on the road and in the home.