FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SD Association Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation at CES

SD ASSOCIATION CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF INNOVATION AT CES 2010
Estimated 2.5 billion cards shipped since CES 2000
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – International CES 2010 – Jan. 5, 2010 -- The SD
Association changed the landscape for consumer electronics 10 years ago thisweek by introducing a globally interoperable SD memory card standard. The tiny
and reliable family of SD memory cards has increased the usefulness, value andlongevity of numerous consumer electronics by offering portability, upgradeabilityand interoperability. Today, SD memory cards store billions of memories,
entertainment, information, music, photos, maps, games, and other applications
used by millions of people every day on a myriad of devices including mobilephones, media players, computers, televisions, personal navigation devices, andcameras of all types.
With an estimated 2.5 billion SD memory cards shipped, SD is now the worldleading de facto interface of removable media. During the past 10 years, the SD
Association shepherded SD technology from an upstart in the then-highly
fragmented removable media market to a leader with nearly 80 percent market
share today. The first SD memory cards offered a then-amazing 8 megabytes ofstorage capacity in the size of a postage stamp, while the latest specification,SDXC, will enter the market at 64 GB, an 8,000 times capacity increase over the
first SD memory cards, and scaling up to 2 terabytes of storage in capacity.
Throughout its 10 years, SD technology has maintained backward compatibility
with previous generations. This commitment allows SD, SDHC and anticipated
SDXC host devices and memory cards to coexist today on retailer shelves and inconsumers’ homes. The basic form factors of SD memory cards – SD, miniSD
and microSD – all share the same interoperability and plug-and-playconvenience.
“The strength of the SD standard is proven every day in an always-evolving andfiercely competitive CE marketplace,” said James Taylor, president of the SD
Association. “The SD Association has created and maintained its winning
standard by ensuring SD technology aggressively responds to innovative
manufacturer requirements while meeting consumer expectations of simplicity
and backwards compatibility.”
SD Technology: Responding to Market NeedsThe Association introduced the SD, miniSD and microSD form factors to meetmarket requirements for a staggering variety of consumer electronic devices.
Both the miniSD and microSD memory cards freed the mobile handset market
from storage constraints and boost the functionality of today’s smart phones byproviding limitless storage. Today, SD technology spans generations of memory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SD Association Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation at CES
card specifications, several card form factors, the SD host controller
specification, an SD application program interface (API) and SD applicationspecifications. These options and tools allow product manufacturers to leverage
their SD capability across a variety of products and solutions. As a result, SD isused in hundreds of millions of products every day.
SD Timeline
In January 2000, Panasonic, SanDisk Corporation and Toshiba Corporation
established the SD Association as a global standards organization promoting SDproduct acceptance.
2000 – SD Association launches 8 MB SD memory card, withexpectations of seeing a 64 MB SD memory card by end of year
2001 – 128 MB to 256 MB SD memory card
2002 – 512 MB SD memory card
2003 – miniSD form factor introduced for mobile phones
2004 – 1 GB SD memory card introduced
2005 – microSD form factor introduced for smaller mobile phones
2006 – SDHC introduced with 4 GB to 32 GB storage
2008 – Embedded SD introduced
2009 – SDXC introduced for 64 GB to 2 terabyte storage, 32 GB SDHC
memory cards debut
2010 – SD Association 10th anniversary; SDXC products to hit retailers
SD Association
The SD Association is a global ecosystem of more than 1,000 technology
companies charged with setting interoperable SD standards. The associationencourages the development of consumer electronic, wireless communication,
digital imaging and networking products that utilize market-leading SDtechnology. The SD standard is the number one choice for consumers and hasearned nearly 80 percent of the memory card market with its reliableinteroperability and its easy-to-use format. Today, mobile phones, Blu-rayplayers, HDTVs, audio players, automotive multimedia systems, handheld PCs,cameras and camcorders feature SD interoperability. For more information about
SDA or to join, please visit the association’s web site, www.sdcard.org.
###Media Contact:
Alisa Hicks
SD Association
1.775.720.5071
media@sdcard.org