Toshiba
Toshiba says that NetApp SolidFire SF4805, SF9605 and SF19210 all-flash arrays are using its non-encrypted HK4 SATA SSDs. Daniel Berg, VP SolidFire production operations at NetApp, said: “With the addition of Toshiba’s non-encrypted SSDs, NetApp SolidFire products can now address markets where non-encrypted drives are required.”
This news snippet is another pointer to the worth of Toshiba's memory business.
That memory business sale saga is ongoing. A JP Morgan analyst, Rod Hall, thinks that if WDC were to buy the thing it could see its earnings go up 30 per cent. An $18bn deal to buy the memory business could be entirely debt-funded. This Barron's blog has more on the topic.
WD CFO Mark Long said: "We are deeply troubled by the tension between the depth of Toshiba’s desperation and their willingness to do things that we didn’t think they would do in other situations. A lot of this, in the initial phases, is going to be overshadowed by the desperation of Toshiba to deal with their crisis as it has grown from a problem to an all-consuming disaster."
WDC reckons it has veto rights over any sale, apparently disputed by Toshiba, which could get cash for its recapitalisation from higher bids than WDC's.