<Tr> <Th> Date invented </Th> <Td> 1978; 40 years ago (1978) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Invented by </Th> <Td> Storage Technology Corporation </Td> </Tr> <P> A solid - state drive (SSD) is a solid - state storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies as memory to store data persistently . It is also sometimes called solid - state disk; the word "disk" is inappropriate since SSDs do not have physical disks . SSDs primarily use traditional hard disk drive (HDD) interfaces, such as SATA and SAS, greatly simplfying usage of SSDs in computers . Following the initial acceptance of SSDs with HDD interfaces, new I / O interfaces like M. 2 and U. 2 have been designed to address specific requirements of the Flash memory technology used in SSDs . </P> <P> SSDs have no moving mechanical components . This distinguishes them from conventional electromechanical drives such as hard disk drives (HDDs) or floppy disks, which contain spinning disks and movable read / write heads . Compared with electromechanical drives, SSDs are typically more resistant to physical shock, run silently, have quicker access time and lower latency . However, while the price of SSDs has continued to decline over time, SSDs are (as of 2018) still more expensive per unit of storage than HDDs and are expected to continue to be so into the next decade . </P>

What is a solid state external hard drive