Taiwan-based JMicron Technology has successfully developed SATA 6Gbps controller ICs for use in solid state drives (SSD), and will begin small-volume shipments in the third quarter, according to industry sources.

JMicron will substantially scale up shipments of its in-house developed SATA3 SSD controllers in the fourth quarter as orders are expected to arrive, the sources indicated.

With SSD controllers carrying higher gross margins, rising shipments of the product line are expected to boost JMicron's profitability for 2011, the sources said. The company already is shipping SSD controllers to Toshiba and Kingston Technology, the sources added.

In addition to SSD controllers, JMicron also specializes in the design of controller chips for USB 3.0 storage devices. Previous reports cited market sources as saying that the company has secured orders for USB 3.0 HDD controllers from Western Digital (WD) and Samsung Electronics.