Lexar facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Memory storage |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founders | John Reimer, Mike Liccardo, Paul Wenz, Petro Estakhri |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Products | SD card USB flash drives Solid-state drives Flash memory CompactFlash cards Card readers XQD |
| Parent | Shenzhen Longsys Electronics Co. (2017–present) |
Lexar is a company that makes special computer memory products. These products help you store digital information like photos, videos, and documents. Lexar used to be an American company, but now a Chinese company called Longsys makes its products.
When USB flash drives first came out, many people called them "JumpDrives." This was because Lexar made very popular ones.
Contents
History of Lexar
Early Years (1996–2006)
Lexar started in 1996 in San Jose, California, USA. They made digital memory products. These included SD cards, CompactFlash cards, USB flash drives, and card readers. Lexar was first part of another company called Cirrus Logic. But in 1996, it became its own company. It was created by Petro Estakhri and Mike Assar.
In 2002, Lexar had a disagreement with another company, Toshiba. Lexar said Toshiba had copied its memory technology. In 2005, a jury first decided that Toshiba should pay Lexar a lot of money. Toshiba then appealed this decision. In 2006, after Lexar was bought by another company, Toshiba agreed to settle the issue. Toshiba bought some of Lexar's patents for $288 million.
Under Micron (2006–2017)
In 2006, a company called Micron Technology bought Lexar. In 2007, Lexar worked with Eastman Kodak Company. They made and sold Kodak-branded flash memory products around the world.
On June 26, 2017, Micron announced that it would stop selling Lexar's memory products in stores. They also said they might sell parts of the business.
Under Longsys (2017–Present)
On August 31, 2017, a Chinese flash memory company called Longsys bought the Lexar brand and its trademarks. Longsys is based in Shenzhen, China.
In 2018, Lexar started selling flash storage products again.
New Products and Achievements
- In January 2019, Lexar showed off the first SD card that could store 1 terabyte (TB) of data. That's a huge amount of storage!
- In December 2019, Lexar showed a very fast SSD that could transfer data at 7.5 gigabytes per second. This was one of the fastest consumer SSDs at the time.
- In April 2020, Lexar released the world's smallest memory card, called the nCARD.
- In June 2020, Lexar started making DRAM memory for computers. They released different types of DDR4 memory kits for laptops and desktops. They also planned to make even faster memory for gamers.
- In 2021, Lexar released the world’s fastest CFexpress memory card. This card was designed for professional filmmakers and content creators. Lexar also became one of the top three companies for SSDs sold to stores.
- In November 2021, Lexar entered the video games market. They released ARES DDR5, which is a new type of gaming memory.
- In 2023, Lexar worked with SK hynix to get a special "Lexar Empowered By SK hynix" Gold Label. Lexar also ranked third again among top SSD makers for retail sales.
- In 2024, Lexar made more portable SSDs for content creators. In January, Lexar started sponsoring the eSports team BLG, which plays League of Legends.
- In June 2024, Lexar launched new portable SSDs and expanded its line of SD memory cards. They also introduced the ARMOR storage series, which is built for tough outdoor use. Lexar won seven awards at the Red Dot Design Awards for their products.
- In July 2024, Lexar launched a successful Kickstarter campaign for a portable SSD with a hub. They raised over $1 million from people who supported the project.
- In October 2024, Lexar launched a new sub-brand called pexar. They introduced 10.1-inch and 11-inch pexar digital picture frames. Lexar also showed its storage solutions at the DJI store in London, working with DJI.
- In December 2024, Lexar introduced four new CFexpress 4.0 memory cards and a docking station for professionals.
- In February 2025, Lexar released the world’s first stainless-steel SD card. This card is very strong. Also in February, the Lexar Go Portable SSD with Hub and the Lexar Professional Workflow won IFA Design Awards for 2025.
USB FlashCard
The USB FlashCard is a type of flash memory card that Lexar developed. They announced it on December 13, 2004.
There are many types of memory cards, like SD and CompactFlash. The main good thing about the USB FlashCard is that it works like a standard USB flash drive. The USB FlashCard uses a special USB Type A plug. This plug helps keep the card very thin, less than 4.5 millimeters.
Because it is small and works with USB, a USB FlashCard could be used directly with a digital camera or a computer. You would not need a separate card reader.
Lexar shared the details for its USB FlashCard design on its website. They made it open and free to use. They hoped other companies would start making memory cards and devices that use this design.
The USB FlashCard is about 31.75 mm long, 12 mm wide, and 4.5 mm thick. This size is similar to the popular SD cards. SD cards are 32 mm long, 24 mm wide, and 2.1 mm thick. The USB FlashCard is almost the same length as an SD card. But it is half as wide and about twice as thick.
See also
In Spanish: Lexar para niños
