During Intel's Tuesday presentation at this year's Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, the company outlined its road map for an upcoming line of solid-state drives that will used flash-based solid-state memory to store data and replace conventional hard drives in some computers.

According the Macworld UK, Intel's High-Performance SATA Solid-State Drive product line will feature storage devices aimed at mobile and desktop clients as well as enterprise server, storage and workstation applications. The first products in the new lated are scheduled to be available by mid-September.

"This is a good move for Intel, and it's good for customers that Intel is making the move," said Dan Olds, principal analyst for the Gabriel Consulting Group. "It will speed development of solid-state drive (SSD) technology and drop the cost. Smaller PC manufacturers will be able to buy pre-integrated SSD drives that will seamlessly slide right into current laptop and desktop designs, which means no additional redesign or development cost."

During the presentation, representatives mentioned two upcoming Flash-based drives, the X18-M and the X-25M, which are expected to be available in 80 and 160 gigabyte capacities. The 80GB drive is currently sampling with production slated within the next 30 days, according to Intel. The 160GB drive is expected to ship in the fourth quarter with production in the first quarter of 2009. The drives themselves are based on Intel's multi-level cell flash memory, save up to 30 minutes in battery life and are designed to improve the input/output bottleneck to the CPU.

No specific word has been given as to whether these drives will find their way into the MacBook Air, though it's an interesting thought, especially with Apple and Intel working more closely than ever these days.

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