Next generation storage (press release pdf):

The next-generation SDXC (eXtended Capacity) memory card specification, pending release in Q1 2009, dramatically improves consumers' digital lifestyles by increasing storage capacity from 32 GB up to 2 TB and increasing SD interface read/write speeds up to 104 MB per second in 2009 with a road map to 300 MB per second. SDXC will provide more portable storage and speed, which are often required to support new features in consumer electronic devices and mobile phones.

Never mind the electronic devices and mobile phones, my data centre will scale to petabytes without issues associated with air conditioning, pwer consumption and physical volume!

It also removes another worry for me. In 2009 we expect to add between 500 TB and 1 PB of new physical storage (on spinning disk). This is a rather large perturbation to our normal growth, and I had been worried about how we would replace it in four years time. If consumer electronics does what it normally does, then in 2012-2013 we’ll be replacing a room full of spinning disk with a rack full of SDXC cards …

The faster bus speeds in the SDXC specification also will benefit SDHC, Embedded SD and SDIO specifications.

and scientific data analysis!

Hat tip (of all places) the online photographer!