Competition has become more intense in the memory module business, encouraging companies to diversify their product offerings, according to Joe Liu, chairman for Kingmax Digital. Industrial-specific memory modules and SSDs are among the new product lines developed by the makers, said Liu.

Kingmax Digital has specialized in the design and manufacture of NAND flash-based devices such as flash memory cards, USB drives and SSDs. The firm stepped into making products for industrial applications in 2011, Liu indicated.

Liu revealed that currently, industrial-specific products account for less than 10% of Kingmax Digital's overall revenues. The company expects the proportion to reach 25% in 2013, Liu noted.

In addition, Liu indicated that the global competitiveness of Taiwan-based SSD companies will hinge on their flash controller partners' ability to commercially produce related chips. Mass-production capabilities will depend very much on whether their controller technologies are sufficiently mature, Liu said.

Taiwan-based NAND flash controller specialists include Phison Electronics, Skymedi, Solid State System (3S) and JMicron Technology.

In other news, Kingmax is showcasing a lineup of SSD products at the ongoing Embedded Technology 2012 trade show (Yokohama, Japan), which concludes on November 16.