Intel is preparing to give widespread adoption of SSD a major boost later this year, by bundling its own SSD products with its forthcoming Centrino 2 mobile platform. This according to a report by Digitimes, which claims Intel has named the product line "Intel High Performance SSD" and should target enterprise, mid-range and high-end notebook products.
Initial shipments will start in the third quarter of this year in two flavors: Client X25-M and Client X18-M for 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch sizes, respectively. Both drives will feature 80GB capacity and a SATA interface.
If true, it would be a very bold move by Intel. As it stands now, SSDs this size command a significant premium - upwards $1,000 - over the price of equivalent notebooks fitted with a hard drive. Just how much the chip maker's bundle approach can help drive down the price for large capacity SSDs remains to be seen. There's no confirmation from Intel itself, so you should probably take this news with a grain of salt.