Intel plans to release a new 40GB solid-state disk (SSD) drive for serves as well as new enterprise-class SSDs with 50GB, 100GB and 200GB capacities.

The new 40GB SSD will most probably positioned as "boot drives" for servers or could be used in low-end laptops or netbooks, since they offer a limited storage capacity.

Intel' new line of enterprise-class SSDs will include 50GB, 100GB and 200GB versions and will be addressed for servers, Jon Peracchi, a marketing manager at Intel unveiled at a SSD Seminar sponsored by Bell Microproducts Inc. in Westford, Mass.

The new SSDs are expected to be generally available next summer. The 120GB X25-V SSD model uses lower-cost multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash chips and will be available in January.

Intel's current line of enterprise-class drives, the X25-E series, have capacities of 32GB and 64GB.

Peracchi also said the new enterprise-class SSDs, which are based on single-level cell NAND, would represent a 40% price cut or about $6.50 per gigabyte over its current X25-E SSD prices, Computerworld repoprted today. This means that a 350GB drive would have an MSRP of $350.