Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) Starts Shipments of 1.89-Inch, 80 GB HD Media.

Tokyo, Japan, Sept 7, 2007 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Denko  K.K. (SDK; TSE: 4004) has started commercial shipments of 1.89-inch hard disk (HD) media with storage capacity of 80 gigabytes per disk, using the innovative perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the world's highest storage capacity for 1.89-inch HD media available on the market today.

In June 2005, SDK became the world's first company to use the PMR technology for commercial production of HD media, enabling a dramatic increase in recording density. In the first half of this year, SDK began commercial production of 2.5-inch 160-gigabytes-per-disk HD media and 3.5-inch 334-gigabytes-per-disk HD media. In our estimate, they also have the world's highest storage capacity for these sizes at this moment.

Due to their small size and low electricity consumption, 1.89-inch HD media have been used in hard disk drives (HDDs) for portable audio/video players. SDK expects the new 80-gigabytes-per-disk 1.89-inch HD media will find growing applications in high-definition camcorders and very small notebook PCs because of their greater storage capacity.

Demand for high-capacity HD media is growing year by year in line with increases in shipments of HDD recorders that can record high-definition TV programs, and high-definition camcorders. SDK has established a setup for ensuring speedy and stable deliveries of HD media based on the PMR technology.

Under the Passion Project, a three-year consolidated business plan that runs from 2006 through 2008, SDK is allocating a substantial amount of resources and promoting R&D for the HD media business as the company's largest "growth-driver business." SDK will continue to satisfy customer needs as the world's largest independent HD media supplier.

Reference:

Compared with the conventional technology that stores magnetic data on a horizontal plane of the HD media, the latest PMR technology enables vertical magnetic recording, resulting in a dramatic increase in recording density.

About Showa Denko K.K.

Showa Denko K.K. ('SDK'; TSE: 4004, US: SHWDF) is a major manufacturer and marketer of chemical products serving a wide range of fields ranging from heavy industry to the electronic and computer industries. SDK makes petrochemicals (ethylene, propylene), aluminum products (ingots, rods), electronic equipment (hard disks for computers) and inorganic materials (ceramics, carbons). The company has overseas operations and a joint venture with Netherlands-based Montell and Nippon Petrochemicals to make and market polypropylenes. In March 2001, SDK merged with Showa Denko Aluminum Corporation to strengthen the high-value-added fabricated aluminum products operations, and is today developing next-generation optical communications-use wafers. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp.

Source: Showa Denko K.K.

Contact:

Showa Denko K.K.
Nobuhiro Kato
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