Imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, presents patterned structures obtained after exposure with the 0.55NA EUV scanner in the joint ASML-imec High NA EUV Lithography Lab in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. Random logic structures down to 9,5 nm (19 nm pitch), random vias with 30 nm center-to-center distance, 2D features at 22 nm pitch, and a DRAM specific lay out at P32nm were printed after single exposure, using materials and baseline processes that were optimized for High NA EUV by imec and its partners in the framework of imec's Advanced Patterning Program. With these results, imec confirms the readiness of the ecosystem to enable single exposure high-resolution High NA EUV Lithography.

Following the recent opening of the joint ASML-imec High NA EUV Lithography Lab in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, customers now have access to the (TWINSCAN EXE:5000) High NA EUV scanner to develop private High NA EUV use cases leveraging the customer's own design rules and lay outs.

ChangXin Memory Technologies, a Chinese startup founded in 2016 that was formerly known as "Innotron Memory", now claims that it has become China's first and only domestic DRAM supplier. Following the announcement that it started production of domestic DRAM chips, ChangXin is now reportedly shipping its first DRAM wafers. With an output of around 20000 wafers per month, the company is currently building LPDDR4, DDR4 8Gbit chips using the "10-nanometer class" node, which is supposed to be 18 or 19 nm size in reality.

The company expects to double its wafer output to 40000 wafers per month sometime around Q2 of 2020 when additional expansion facilities will start production. ChangXin plans to soon open two more manufacturing facilities to start manufacturing even more wafers, in addition to its Fab 1. So far ChangXin has laid-out plans to start manufacturing DRAM technology based on stack capacitor, which is different from the usual trench capacitor technology few companies are pursuing.

Plextor unveiled the M6S Plus series performance-segment consumer SSDs. A successor to the M6S series launched as recently as February 2016, the M6S Plus features 15 nm Toggle NAND flash chips from Toshiba, instead of the 19 nm ones found on the original M6S. The controller remains unchanged - Marvell 88SS9188. The drives are built in the 2.5-inch form-factor, with SATA 6 Gb/s interface.

The drives come in three capacities - 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB, featuring DDR3 DRAM caches of 256 MB, 512 MB, and 768 MB, respectively. All three models offer sequential read performance of up to 520 MB/s, with sequential writes of up to 300 MB/s, 420 MB/s, and 440 MB/s, depending on the capacity. Their 4K random access performance numbers similarly vary, at up to 88,000 IOPS, up to 90,000 IOPS, and up to 94,000 IOPS, respectively. The company didn't announce pricing.

OCZ announced the Trion 100, a new lineup of cost-effective SSD for first-time users graduating from HDDs, and for those who want fast read-intensive drives to replace storage HDDs in their systems. Some extremely low price-per-gigabyte figures build their case. The drive features 19 nm TLC NAND flash chips made by Toshiba, driven by a controller also made by Toshiba. This controller features an SLC-caching tech that deals with a small portion of the TLC NAND flash as SLC (by storing just one bit per cell), which has the maximum sequential transfer performance. The controller juggles hot-data in and out of this portion from the rest of the TLC area. Other controller features include DEVSLEEP mode support. In this mode, the drive draws just 6 mW of power. Other essentials such as TRIM and NCQ are also featured.

OCZ Trion 100 comes in four capacities - 120 GB, 240 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB, priced at US $56.99, $87.99, $184.99, and $369.99, respectively. All four variants offer sequential read speeds of up to 550 MB/s, while the maximum sequential-write speeds are rated at 450 MB/s, 520 MB/s, 530 MB/s, and 530 MB/s, respectively. The maximum 4K random-read performance for the 120 GB variant is rated at 79,000 IOPS; while the other three offer up to 90,000 IOPS. Random-write performance figures for the four variants are 25,000 IOPS, 43,000 IOPS, 54,000 IOPS, and 64,000 IOPS, respectively. The drives are built in the 7 mm-thick 2.5-inch form-factor, with SATA 6 Gb/s interface. The drives ship with OCZ's SSDGuru software that lets you monitor the drive's health, update its firmware, and wipe it. OCZ is offering a 3-year warranty with these drives.Read our review of the OCZ Trion 100 480GB.

OCZ Storage Solutions -- a Toshiba Group Company and leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced a new series of SATA III SSDs to add to its Intrepid 3000 enterprise portfolio. The new Intrepid 3700 SSD Series delivers superior performance and I/O latency responses that dramatically improve application performance and I/O efficiencies, and supports higher storage densities up to 2TB representing OCZ's largest capacity enterprise SATA SSDs to date.

"Datacenter customers have asked for larger solid state drives that do not make any sacrifices in performance or endurance to address the need to manage the ever growing amounts of data being generated by today's computing environments," said Daryl Lang, CTO at OCZ Storage Solutions. "Our new Intrepid 3700 Series is designed to meet these market requirements for an easy to deploy solid state solution that delivers the very best balance of features, endurance, and capacity."

Plextor launched its flagship SSD for PC enthusiasts, the M6e Black Edition. Clearly intended for enthusiast PC builds, miles away from an enterprise environment, this drive features a focus on product design, with its matte black PCB, full-length metal shroud, and a racy red aluminium heatsink popping out from a cutout in that shroud. This heatsink cools the controller and NAND flash chips. The drive comes in three capacities - 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB.

Under the hood, the M6e Black Edition is essentially an M.2 riser with PCI-Express 2.0 x4 wiring. The drive sitting on its M.2 slot is driven by a Marvell 88SS9183 controller, wired to Toshiba-made 19 nm Toggle NAND flash, and 1 GB of DRAM cache. The drive offers sequential transfer rates of up to 770 MB/s reads, with up to 625 MB/s writes; with up to 105,000 IOPS 4K random reads, and up to 100,000 IOPS 4K random writes. In addition to PCIe bus power, the drive requires power from a SATA power connector. Features include PlexTurbo 2.0 technology that shuttles hot data to system memory, TRIM, NCQ, and NVMe. The drive is bootable.

OCZ doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of other SSD manufacturers, of launching variations of products, featuring different NAND flash than what the products launched with. The Toshiba-owned company launched the Vertex 460A, technically a new model, but essentially a variant of the Vertex 460, which consumers are aware of. The Vertex 460A comes with Toshiba A19 series MLC NAND flash, replacing the older 19 nm Toshiba flash. The product branding is upgraded, and the drive now comes with OCZ's new ShieldPlus warranty.

As revealed by several store listings Toshiba-owned OCZ Storage Solutions is just about ready to release a new consumer-oriented solid state drive, the ARC 100. Coming in 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB capacities, this SSD features a 2.5-inch form factor (7 mm height), a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, a Barefoot 3 M10 controller, and Toshiba-made 19 nm MLC NAND Flash memory chips.

The ARC 100 drivers are capable of sequential read speeds of 490 MB/s and reach 430 MB/s (400 MB/s for the 120 GB model) while writing. The 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB can be found priced at $74.99, $119.99 and $239.99, respectively, but they are out of stock.

OCZ Storage Solutions - a Toshiba Group Company and leading provider of high-performance solid state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced the RevoDrive 350 Series with workstation-grade design capabilities and maximum performance for professional content creation, multimedia, and extreme gaming applications. Achieving three times the performance of SATA-based SSD solutions, RevoDrive 350 is based on proven performance architecture and features 19 nm Toshiba NAND to complete OCZ's portfolio transition to in-house flash, offering a high-performance yet cost-efficient SSD solution for bandwidth-intensive client applications.

Using the PCI Express Gen. 2 x8 interface and up to four LSI SF-2282 processors to offer more available bandwidth than the previous generation, RevoDrive 350 features up to 1.8GB/s sequential speeds and up to 140,000 4K random write IOPS, delivering SSD RAID performance without the hassle in an easy-to-deploy, single card solution.

Plextor has now announced the European release of the M6S, its newest SATA solid state drive which makes use of Marvell's SS9188 dual-core controller and Toshiba 19 nm Toggle-Mode MLC NAND memory. The SSD comes in a 2.5-inch form factor (7 mm tall) and has a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface and is capable of read/write speeds of up to 520/440 MB/s.

Plextor's M6S is backed by a three-year warranty and comes in 128 GB (82 Euro), 256 GB (145 Euro) and 512 GB (306 Euro) capacities.

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today announced four new additions to its CloudSpeed Serial ATA (SATA) product family: the CloudSpeed Extreme, CloudSpeed Ultra, CloudSpeed Ascend and CloudSpeed Eco Solid State Drives (SSDs).

The new CloudSpeed SSDs are designed to deliver business-critical performance for the mixed-use, read and write-intensive application workloads that have become increasingly prominent in today's enterprise data centers and cloud computing environments. By combining its flash management Guardian Technology Platform with industry-leading memory technology, SanDisk becomes the first vendor to ship 10 full drive writes per day (DWPD), 19 nm-based enterprise SATA SSDs. The CloudSpeed products thus provide customers with longer-lasting drive operation at a better value. The announcement was made at the Interop and Cloud Connect IT Conference and Expo taking place March 31-April 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Plextor, leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media and storage equipment, will reveal its new M6 Solid State Drive Solution at the upcoming 2014 edition of CeBIT in Hannover, Germany. The M6 multi-form factor lineup features Plextor's next-generation and new 2.5" M6S, the new M6M mSATA SSD and the new ultra-fast M6e M.2 PCIe SSD.

Building up to the official introduction of the highly anticipated M6 series Plextor will be continuously demonstrating the full lineup from March 10 - 14 in its showcases in the Business Center (Hall 15, Stand A18, Room 18) and at Planet Reseller (Hall 15, Stand D21, Number 66).

Toshiba Corporation today announced the launch of the "HG6 series" of client SSDs integrating NAND chips fabricated with 19 nm second-generation process technology. Shipping will start from March.

The new HG6 series SSDs are Toshiba's first to use NAND chips fabricated with 19 nm second-generation process technology. Versions will be available in capacities from 60 GB to 512 GB, in 2.5-type, thin space-saving mSATA and M.2 (single- and double-sided) form factors, to meet various requirements.

Keeping itself busy until the Toshiba deal is finalized, OCZ Technology has actually unveiled a new product at CES 2014, the Vertex 460 solid state drive. This updated storage solution comes in a 2.5-inch form factor and features a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, a Barefoot 3 M10 controller, and Toshiba-made 19 nm MLC NAND Flash memory chips.

The Vertex 460 is capable of transfer speeds of up to 550 MB/s and is set to ship later this month in 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB capacities.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced the latest addition to the popular Deneva 2 Series which now utilizes 19 nanometer (nm) NAND flash. The new models are 2.5-inch, 6 Gbps SATA III-based Multi-Level Cell (MLC) drives that implement the Deneva 2 SSD Series feature-set and are built around a smaller NAND flash process geometry. This cutting-edge drive solution also features a completely new power architecture that was designed from the ground up to optimize server back plane functionality, providing enhanced management of in-rush current and power fluctuation. The result is an advanced SSD series that delivers superior storage performance, enterprise-class endurance, reliability and quality, and excellent total cost of ownership for customers.

"Our Deneva 2 has been a popular SSD series among IT professionals not only as an HDD replacement but to dramatically accelerate I/O access of such popular enterprise applications as OnLine Transaction Processing, database warehousing, read intensive data caching and server boot-ups," said Daryl Lang, SVP of Product Management for OCZ Technology. "By implementing new features and the latest NAND flash process geometry we are able to deliver an optimal balance of I/O performance and cost-efficiency to our customers."

Plextor (www.plextor.com), leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media and storage equipment, gave a sneak preview of the upcoming M6 Drive and M.2 form factor SSD solutions at the IFA show in Berlin.

Plextor M6 Series
The M6 is the anticipated successor to the Plextor M5 Series. The M6 is a 2,5", 5 mm solid state drive for the consumer market and is scheduled to come in the following versions: a version for the high performance segment, the Pro version; and a version to cater the needs of average computer users, the S version. The M6 features the next generation of Plextor's proprietary TrueSpeed technology that works in tandem with the Marvell 88SS9187 controller for enhanced performance and reliability.

Violin Memory, Inc., provider of memory-based storage systems, today announced the 6264 flash Memory Array, the next generation of flash memory storage that delivers 64 TB of capacity in a mere 3U footprint. Complementing the 6000 Series Arrays is the Violin Symphony Management System, enabling enterprise-wide management of Violin Memory Arrays through a single pane of glass view -- from any device, anytime.

With the 6264 flash Memory Array, Violin has once again set the bar for price-performance economics. By combining industry-leading flash controller technology with Toshiba's latest generation of 19 nm flash technology, the Violin 6264 delivers twice the density and three times the economics of its predecessor while significantly reducing power consumption. The Violin 6264 flash Memory Array incorporates several flash management innovations enabling disruptive economics for massively consolidated virtual infrastructures for enterprise customers.

Team Group showed off its Dark L3 line of mainstream consumer SSDs. Based on the common SandForce SF-2281 platform, and built in the conventional 9.5 mm-thick 2.5 mm form-factor with SATA 6 Gb/s interface, these drives use 19 nm MLC NAND flash, and come in 60 GB, 120 GB, and 240 GB capacities. All three models offer up to 550 Mb/s reads, the 60 GB and 120 GB variants offers up to 450 MB/s writes, while the 240 GB variant offers up to 500 MB/s. All three models offer 35,000 IOPS 4K random reads, the 60 GB variant offers 25,000 IOPS 4K random writes; while the 120 GB and 240 GB variants offer up to 50,000 IOPS. Most common client SSD features such as TRIM, NCQ, and SMART, are standard issue.

In addition to the SX1000 and SX2000 series enterprise SSDs, ADATA showed off its latest consumer SSDs, under the XPG SX920 banner. Built in the 7 mm-thick 2.5-inch form-factor with SATA 6 Gb/s interface, and available in 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB capacities, these drives are based on a Marvell-made controller, driving 19 nm MLC NAND flash. These drives offer up to 530 MB/s of sequential reads, up to 480 MB/s sequential writes, and up to 80,000 IOPS 4K random writes. Most common client SSD features such as TRIM, NCQ, and SMART. The drives are backed by 3-year warranties.

Memoright is announcing next-generation XTM Series SATA III SSD products at Computex 2013. Including Memoright's exclusive Endurance Write firmware architecture developed with in-house R&D, the product supports MLC and TLC flash memory made with the latest process technology. Offering the best combination of reliability and high-speed performance, the product is ideal for applications in cloud computing, business servers, workstations and high-end personal computers. Using the latest 19 nm MLC / TLC flash memory, the XTM SSD includes Memoright's exclusive Endurance Write firmware architecture that significantly enhances SSD life while providing stable, high-speed read/write performance.

Earlier TLC flash memory applications have been confined to digital audio players and other products that have flash drive storage requirements at the low range of performance and service life. Yet market expectations for SSDs have increased steadily, making a design that balances performance, product life and product cost an important test for the SSD industry and manufacturers.

SMART Storage Systems, an innovative enterprise solid-state drive (SSD) technology provider, today announced the new Optimus Eco, the first Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) 6Gb/s SSD on the market to leverage 19 nm multi-level cell (MLC) Flash. Continuing the company's effort to usher in a new era of Flash storage, and anticipating the changing needs of enterprise data centers, SMART Storage Systems' new Optimus Eco SSD represents the industry's best combination of performance, capacity, endurance and cost in an enterprise-class 2.5-inch drive.

Forced to do more with less, many organizations are choosing to build their own hyperscale architectures by combining best-in-class hardware and software to lower costs and meet growing data center demands. In addition, looking to control maintenance costs, data center managers are seeking the highest-capacity drives to pack more capacity into a rack, resulting in the ability to reduce their storage footprint. In fact, Gartner estimates that in 2016 the average capacity of an SSD deployed in enterprise storage and server environments will be more than 1.1 TB. When combined with SSDs that can provide the endurance necessary to support write-intensive applications with cost-effective 19 nm MLC Flash, the result is a dramatic reduction in storage total cost of ownership (TCO).

Without making much noise about it, Corsair retrofitted its Neuton GTX line of performance consumer SSDs with 19 nm Toggle-NAND flash chips made by Toshiba. The newer drives' model numbering scheme looks like "CSSD-NxxxGBGTXB-BK," where "B" denotes 19 nm Toggle NAND flash, and "xxx" denotes the capacity (120/240/480 GB). The MTBF on Corsair website appears unchanged, so does the 5-year product warranty, and rated P/E cycle count of 3,000. The Corsair Neutron GTX line of performance SSDs were launched in September 2012, originally with 24 nm toggle-NAND flash.

Toshiba Electronics Europe (TEE) has announced that solid state drives (SSDs) built on the company's 19nm Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND flash technology are now readily available across Europe. Toshiba was the first company to develop 19nm NAND SSDs and the family includes the world's smallest and highest density NAND flash drives.

Toshiba's THNSNH family addresses the storage, performance and power efficiency demands of even the most data-intensive and energy-sensitive systems. The drives are ideal for high-end notebooks, tablets, PCs, all-in-one desktop computers and industrial PCs. Capacities of 512GB1, 256GB, 128GB and 60GB are all now available in 2.5-inch form factors with a choice of 7.0 mm and 9.5 mm profiles. mSATA modules with capacities of 256GB, 128GB and 60GB are also available.

At CeBIT, Plextor showed off a yet unnamed line of consumer SSDs featuring 19 nm triple-level cell (TLC) NAND flash memory. The series consists of 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB variants, with 256 MB, 512 MB, and 768 MB of DDR3 DRAM cache, respectively. The three are driven by Marvell 88SS9189 processor, and are built in the 2.5-inch form-factor, with SATA 6 Gb/s interface.

The 128 GB variant offers sequential read speeds as high as 530 MB/s, with up to 380 MB/s writes, and 72,000 IOPS 4K random write performance. The 256 GB variant ups that with 540 MB/s reads, and 450 MB/s writes. Leading the pack is the 512 GB variant, with 540 MB/s reads, and 465 MB/s writes. The lineup is expected to be launched this August.

SMART Storage Systems an innovative enterprise solid-state drive (SSD) technology provider, today announced that the company has extended its CloudSpeed product line with the introduction of two new drives, the CloudSpeed 1000 and CloudSpeed 1000E. While leveraging cost-effective 19 nm consumer-grade multi-level cell (MLC) Flash and enhancing its base endurance with SMART Storage Systems award winning Guardian Technology Platform, the new CloudSpeed SSDs deliver up to 5x better endurance than competing MLC-based SSDs, resulting in the lowest cost per terabyte written (TBW) in the industry. This enables enterprise customers to better control their storage total cost of ownership (TCO).