Flash memory company SanDisk sees a bright future for a growing flash market in the years to come. They plan to keep releasing flash products catered to consumer demands.
"What is different really over the next decade is that the scale of the business, I believe, the growth ahead is going to be on a bigger scale," said Eli Harari, SanDisk CEO, during a recent investor event.
Analysts expect flash memory to remain popular in MP3 players and smartphones. Flash will grow even more popular in the computer industry - as solid state drives (SSDs) increase in popularity. The high capacity flash-based storage products remain expensive, but have become popular due to higher read/write speeds and lower maintenance demands.
It's not surprising SanDisk wants to see flash memory reach new heights in the next 10 years, as the company specializes in flash-based consumer products. The company has shipped 1 billion units since 2007, and wants to ship an additional 1 billion units by 2012.
SanDisk makes half of its revenue providing flash memory to manufacturers, with the remaining revenue generated by direct sales to consumers.
Research group iSuppli predicts revenue from the global NAND flash industry will increase 34 percent in 2010 - and that number will only get higher, as more smartphones and smartbooks are released.
A potential problem, according to analysts, will be a market flooded with too many manufacturers aiming for the same market. Cheaper Chinese knockoffs have been irrelevant in the SD flash market, but could force the hand of more established tech companies, such as SanDisk and Samsung.
