Xyratex (Nasdaq: XRTX), a leading supplier of enterprise class data storage subsystems, is the first storage subsystem manufacturer to qualify and integrate Seagate’s 146GB Cheetah 15K.4, 4Gb/sec fibre channel (FC) disc drives.

Seagate’s Cheetah 15K.4 disc drives have been fully integrated into Xyratex’s RS-1600-F4-SBD 4G storage system, making it the industry’s first, fully integrated 4Gb/sec storage subsystem.

“Xyratex and Seagate are two of the first storage companies to initiate 4Gb/sec industry demonstrations. The two companies have maintained a close working relationship and remain at the forefront of the industry push to get 4Gb/sec fibre channel to the market” said Todd Gresham, SVP Xyratex Storage Systems. The RS-1600 is one of several 4Gb/sec product releases by Xyratex designed to address enterprise class applications that require high bandwidth and high availability.

“Fibre Channel has firmly established itself as the premier serial interface, and over the past decade Seagate has driven the development of this powerful technology,” said Sherman Black, SVP and General Manager of Enterprise Storage, Seagate. “Seagate’s 4Gb/sec Fibre Channel solutions allow the greatest scalability and performance. For these reasons, IT professionals are eager to deploy systems, such as Xyratex’s, based on 4Gb/sec Fibre Channel technology.”

Xyratex and Seagate have a long history working together to deliver this powerful technology to customers. Fibre Channel at 4Gb/sec speeds provides for unparalleled disc drive performance, scalability, security, and data integrity.

About Seagate

Seagate (NYSE:STX) is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of hard disc drives, providing products for a wide-range of Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, and Consumer Electronics applications. Seagate's business model leverages technology leadership and world-class manufacturing to deliver industry-leading innovation and quality to its global customers, and to be the low cost producer in all markets in which it participates. The company is committed to providing award-winning products, customer support and reliability to meet the world's growing demand for information storage. Seagate was named 2006 Company of the Year by Forbes Magazine. Seagate can be found around the globe and at http://www.seagate.com.

Seagate, Seagate Technology and the WAVE logo are registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC. Cheetah is either a trademark or a registered trademark of Seagate Technology LLC. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. When referring to drive capacity one gigabyte, or GB, equals one billion bytes. Accessible capacity may vary depending on operating environment and formatting. Actual quantities will vary based on various factors, including file size, file format, features and application software.

About Xyratex

Xyratex is a leading provider of enterprise data storage subsystems and network technology. The company designs and manufactures enabling technology that provides OEM and disk drive manufacturer customers with data storage products to support high-performance storage and data communication networks. Xyratex has over 20 years of experience in research and development relating to disk drives, storage systems and high-speed communication protocols.

Founded in 1994 in an MBO from IBM, and with headquarters in the UK, Xyratex has an established global base with R&D and operational facilities in Europe, the United States and South East Asia.