Solid-state memory drives (SSDs) are likely to replace traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) in industrial PCs within a decade, a new forecast suggests. The market analyst IMS Research reports that the use of SSDs in IPCs has already increased substantially in the past two years.

“SSDs now offer similar levels of storage capacity to a HDD, but without the rotating parts that can become vulnerable in environments where vibration is common,” points out IMS senior analyst, Mark Watson. “The higher level of reliability offered by SSDs has made them a popular choice for critical applications.

“SSDs are currently more expensive than HDDs,” he adds, “but, whereas HDDs have little room for prices to fall further, SSD prices have decreased significantly over the past two years. A 16GB SSD would have cost an IPC manufacturer approximately $200 in 2007. In 2009, the same component would have cost closer to $50.”