Hitachi Data Systems Begins Shipping Freedom Storage 5800 Equipped With High-Speed 36-GB Disk Drives - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, March 6, 2000

Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT), Monday announced it is now shipping Hitachi Freedom Storage 5800 subsystems equipped with new high-speed 36-gigabyte (GB) disk drives that spin at 10,000 rpm.

Designed to reduce the time that busy ATM users, Web surfers, and e-business patrons have to wait for completion of on-line computer transactions, the new drives further boost the performance of the 5800, already the fastest midrange storage subsystem in the world.

The new drives can improve non-sequential read performance in transaction-oriented applications by as much as 40 percent when compared to Hitachi's previous generation of 36GB disk drives, which spin at an industry-standard 7,200 rpm.

Freedom Storage 5800 subsystems attach to a wide variety of UNIX-, Windows NT-, and Windows 2000-based servers. These subsystems can be distributed throughout the enterprise and yet be managed from a central location. Fully loaded with 36 GB disk drives, the 5800 can provide more than 2.5 terabytes of usable storage capacity in a single 19-inch rack.

Among the other features that contribute to its high performance is an option called TurboLUN, which enables users to increase their transaction-processing performance by as much as 100 percent, or more. Hitachi Data Systems is the first in the industry to provide mid-range storage with TurboLUN's unique functionality, in which critical data -- such as database log files -- are permanently locked into high-speed cache memory within the subsystem, substantially reducing the time to retrieve and update frequently used information.

"The Freedom Storage 5800 delivers ideal solutions for use in open-systems computing environments running data warehousing, data mining, or e-business applications that require the highest levels of availability and performance," said Richard Search, Vice President of Storage Product Management and Marketing, Hitachi Data Systems. "Now that the high-speed 36 GB disk drives are generally available, customers using the 5800 will have another tool in their arsenals to deliver the fast response their own customers demand."

Recognized as a leading provider of business solutions for the world's most IT-intensive corporations, Hitachi Data Systems offers technical services, multi-platform storage subsystems, and the industry's broadest line of high-performance servers. The company's solutions are "Built for Fast Times," enabling customers to exploit the value of information technology for success in the Internet economy. These solutions reflect Hitachi's vision of allowing clients to focus on their business, and not their technology. Hitachi Data Systems is owned by Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT) and has its headquarters in Santa Clara, California. For further information on Hitachi Data Systems, access www.hds.com.

Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 1998 (ended March 31, 1999) consolidated sales of 7,977 billion yen ($65.9 billion(1)). The company manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., visit Hitachi's Web site at http://www.hitachi.co.jp.

(1) At an exchange rate of 121 yen to the dollar.