Hitachi and ASUS Collaborate to Deliver the World's First One Terabyte Notebook PC

Business Wire, Jan 3, 2008

New 500GB 2.5-Inch Hard Drive Provides ASUS Notebook PCs with Enormous Capacity, High Power Efficiency and Unmatched Reliability

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced that ASUS has integrated Hitachi's Travelstar 5K500 hard drive into its new M50 and M70 notebook PCs, the latter of which delivers up to 1TB of storage capacity in a two-drive configuration. The companies are breaking new ground in personal computing by combining industry-leading storage capacity - exceeding that of a typical desktop system - with the portability of a notebook PC. One TB of storage capacity translates to 1,000 hours of video, or more than 350 feature length movies or 250,000 four-minute songs.

As a world leading notebook PC brand, ASUS continues to develop cutting-edge products that offer the best solution in great designs. With the new multimedia notebook series, the M50 and the M70, ASUS aims to provide a high-definition audio and video experience. The HD experience starts with a sleek LCD cover made by exclusive ASUS Infusion technology. Upon opening the notebook, users are greeted with a multimedia console-like design with an ergonomic full-size keyboard and a separate numerical keypad. To further enhance the entertainment enjoyment, the dual-mode touch pad allows easy access to playback controls.

ASUS selected Hitachi Travelstar drives for its M50 and M70 series notebooks because they allow users to store more digital content than any other mobile drive on the market today. Consumers expect their notebook PCs to be entertainment powerhouses, storing and providing easy access to massive libraries of high-definition movies, music and photos. The new Travelstar 5K500 addresses these requirements with the features, design innovations and technologies that enhance the entertainment experience.

The Travelstar 5K500 features Hitachi's Rotational Vibration Safeguard (RVS) technology to mitigate any adverse impact on system performance from unexpected vibrations or shocks to the system enclosure. RVS serves as an "early warning" system for the drive, enabling it to sense a possible vibration in advance and take the necessary steps to stabilize the drive head. RVS is particularly important for many of today's full-featured notebooks that include premium speakers for enhancing a user's experience with movies, music and games. When played at maximum volumes, notebook speakers can inadvertently cause vibrations that may not be noticeable to the user.

"Digital entertainment on-the-go is growing rapidly and notebooks are being used to run more powerful, memory-intensive applications," said Tony Chen, General Manager of ASUS Notebooks Business. "Our notebooks with the Hitachi Travelstar 5K500 provide the answer to users who demand systems that combine large storage capacities with desktop-class performance and features."

"One TB represents a major advancement in notebook computing and we are pleased to be at the heart of this industry milestone," said Larry Swezey, director, Consumer and Commercial HDD, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. "We will continue to deliver the best that storage technology has to offer, solidifying Hitachi's position as the segment and technology leader in 2.5-inch hard drives."

Since entering the 2.5-inch segment in 1991, Hitachi has led innovations in the form factor for every measurable category: areal density, performance, power management, acoustics, shock tolerance, reliability and breadth of product options. Hitachi Travelstar drives continue to be the most popular 2.5-inch hard drives on the market today.

Please check the regional ASUS branch for the M50 and M70 availability. For more information, please visit the official website: www.asus.com.

About ASUS

ASUS is a leading provider of 3C total solutions. With a global staff of more than 100 thousand and a world-class R&D design team, the turnover for 2006 was 17.4 billion U.S. Dollars. ASUS has been ranked in Business Week InfoTech 100 for 10 straight years, and was ranked No.1 by the Wall Street Journal Asia for best quality products in Taiwan.

About Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies develops advanced hard disk drives to store and preserve the world's valued data. Founded by the pioneers of hard drives, Hitachi GST enables users to fully engage in the digital lifestyle by providing high-value, high-capacity storage in formats suitable for the office, in the home or on the road. With vertically-integrated research, design and manufacturing capabilities, Hitachi GST delivers leadership technology and quality to its global customer base.

With approximately 33,000 employees worldwide, Hitachi GST offers a comprehensive range of hard drive products for desktop computers, high-performance storage systems and servers, notebooks and consumer devices. For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachigst.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE:HIT) (TOKYO:6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 384,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2006 (ended March 31, 2007) consolidated revenues totaled 10,247 billion yen ($86.8 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.