US-based Marvell Technology has invested in Taiwan-based SSD (solid-state drive) maker Memoright to form a strategic alliance for combining its SSD controller ICs and Memoright's firmware technology to provide complete SSD solutions, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

Marvell and US-based LSI are the two largest SSD controller IC vendors with a combined global market share of at least 70%, the sources indicated. While LSI provides SSD controller ICs equipped with complete firmware, Marvell provides SSD controller ICs which need clients to write their own firmware, the sources noted. Since many SSD suppliers are not capable of writing firmware, Marvell has encountered bottlenecks in marketing its SSD controller ICs, the sources pointed out.

In addition to SSDs, Marvell will have Memoright write firmware for its eMMC controller ICs for smartphones and tablets, the sources indicated.

Taiwan-based SSD controller IC design houses include Phison Electronics, JMicron Technology and Silicon Motion Technology, with Phison being a supplier for several ultrabook vendors and JMicron specialized in SSDs for industrial applications, the sources noted.