With NAND flash prices reaching the sweet spot, solid-state drives (SSDs) are expected to see adoption expand substantially in the second half of 2012, according to a Kingston Technology executive.

Average pricing for 1GB of NAND flash memory will likely fall to US$1 - a threshold that will trigger a meaningful replacement of hard disk drives (HDDs) by SSDs - sometime in the third quarter of 2012, said Nathan Su, flash memory sales director of Kingston APAC.

Behind the lower per GB costs will be major flash chipmakers' transition to 19nm and more advanced manufacturing processes, Su indicated. The high cost of flash has been a major issue slowing down the adoption of SSDs.

In addition, the current tight supplies of HDDs caused by Thailand's floods will likely spur demand for SSDs in particular for low-capacity, industrial-grade products, Su said.

Su noted that Kingston has enhanced its SSD product line to target the entry-level and medium-range to high-end segments. Since the beginning of 2011, the company has moved its business focus to NAND flash-related products in view of the shrinking DRAM module business, Su added.

Kingston has also developed a new product line of portable external drives, used as accessories for consumer technology products including smartphones and tablets, Su said. Taking its new Wi-Drive product as an example, the series offers pocket-sized portable storage and easy file sharing for Apple devices including iPods, iPhones and iPads, Su added.