Phison to ship U3 controller ICs

Controller IC design house Phison Electronics Corp. disclosed that it will begin shipments of U3 solution for controller ICs within this month. The Taiwan-based company says its U3 solution has acquired validation, with Kingston Technology Co. likely to be the first to avail of the new solution.

Claiming to be the first design house in Taiwan to offer U3 controller ICs, Phison said it will supply U3 controller ICs or U3 flash disk ODM service to its clients. The company expects U3-based product makers, such as TwinMOS Technologies Inc. and Power Quotient Int., to acquire its U3 controller IC as well.

Currently, companies that offer U3 solutions aim for the U.S. market since there is no existing China-based interface for U3 flash disks as yet. However, industry observers say that the region is expected to be open for U3 products later this year. Sales in Asia are then projected to rise for the segment.