Intel today introduced 1.5 TB variants of the Optane 905p SSD that implements 3D XPoint memory. The drive comes in half-height PCI-Express 3.0 x4 add-on card, and 15 mm-thick 2.5-inch form-factor with U.2 interface. Both variants offer sequential transfer rates of up to 2,600 MB/s reads, with up to 2,200 MB/s writes. Random access speeds are rated at up to 575,000 IOPS reads, with up to 550,000 IOPS writes. A function of its sheer capacity and 3D XPoint, endurance for these drives is rated at 27.37 PB (bytes written). The drives retain the feature set of their less capacious siblings, including 256-bit AES native encryption. The company didn't release pricing.

Silicon Power introduced the AIC3C0P, an industrial-grade PCI-Express NVMe SSD in the half-height add-in card form-factor, with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 interface. Available in capacities of 800 GB, 1.6 TB, and 3.2 TB, the drive features MLC NAND flash. It offers sequential transfer rates of up to 3200 MB/s reads, with up to 1850 MB/s writes, and 4K random access speeds of up to 750,000 IOPS reads, and up to 380,000 IOPS writes. Also on offer is power-loss protection, and native 256-bit AES data encryption. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ynology Inc. announced the official launch of new product lineup featuring: XS-series DS3018xs: Synology's first 6-bay tower NAS with optional 10GbE and M.2 SATA SSD supports; Plus-series DS918+, DS718+, and DS218+: Greater performance and data resiliency for intensive workloads; and Value-series DS418: Introduction of 4K online transcoding capability.

To allow for ultra-high performance using SSD cache without occupying internal drive bays, DS3018xs features a PCIe slot, which can be installed with a dual M.2 SATA SSD adapter card (M2D17). DS918+ comes with dedicated dual M.2 NVMe slots at the bottom where you can directly install M.2 NVMe SSDs. DS418 features 10-bit H.265 4K video transcoding.

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today announced the introduction of the Samsung Portable SSD T5 - the newest portable solid state drive (PSSD) that raises the bar for the performance of external memory products. The T5, built with Samsung's latest 64-layer V-NAND technology, delivers industry-leading transfer speeds with encrypted data security in a compact and durable design, making it easier than ever for consumers to access their most valuable data anywhere, at any time.

"Samsung has been pushing the envelope of what is possible in portable storage and solid state drives for years, and the Portable SSD T5 continues our legacy of leadership and innovation," said Un-Soo Kim, Senior Vice President of Brand Product Marketing, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. "We are confident that the T5 will exceed consumers' expectations for external storage by offering faster speeds and a solid design that is lightweight and conveniently pocket-sized. It is the ideal portable storage product for consumers and professionals who are in search of a fast, durable and secure device."

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced the new business-class AMD-powered TS-x73U series NAS; available in 8, 12 and 16-bay models with single and redundant power supply options. With a high-performance AMD Embedded R-Series RX-421ND quad-core CPU (2.1 GHz base, 3.4 GHz boost), a pre-installed dual-port 10GbE SFP+ network card, and two M.2 SATA 6Gb/s SSD slots (for empowering SSD caching to realize optimized storage efficiency with Qtier technology), the rack-mountable TS-x73U series is ideal for business organizations looking for a secure private cloud and efficient IT infrastructure for 10GbE networks.

With a dual 10GbE configuration, the TS-x73U series is capable of delivering up to 1,567 MB/s throughput, while the accelerated encryption engine with AES-NI enables unmatched encryption performance of up to 1,244 MB/s to boost system performance. Coupled with high scalability, the 10GbE-ready TS-x73U series satisfies virtualization and fast backup/restoration requirements for an ever-growing amount of data that demands higher bandwidth, and facilitates day-to-day operations with greater productivity.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today launched the TVS-882BR Blu-ray NAS series (including the TVS-882BR and TVS-882BRT3 models). QNAP also announced a partnership with Fengtao Software to provide an all-in-one backup solution with its DVDFab software. DVDFab provides a complete solution for backing up disc-based files to the NAS for more convenient storage while also enabling NAS-based files to be written to discs for disaster recovery purposes. The TVS-882BRT3 also features four Thunderbolt 3 ports, providing a highly-efficient collaborative environment for media professionals, while also allowing instant writing of their creative works to disc. The TVS-882BR can also serve as a Blu-ray player, allowing direct playback via HDMI using Linux Station or Virtualization Station (third-party media player software required - may require separate license purchase).

"The TVS-882BR series - available with a pre-installed Blu-ray Disc drive or an empty 5.25-inch bay - takes a unique place in the QNAP NAS line-up by enabling users to directly consolidate optical disc-based data to their NAS for easier management and sharing. The ability to write data to discs also provides another layer of data protection alongside modern NAS and cloud-based methods," said Dan Lin, Product Manager of QNAP. "With robust hardware and M.2 SATA 6Gb/s support, the TVS-882BR provides users with a complete range of IT solutions, including deploying resource-demanding virtualization applications, online collaboration, and building a shared Blu-ray NAS workstation," Lin added.

Western Digital Corporation, a global storage technology and solutions leader, today introduced its fastest WD brand portable drive yet, the My Passport SSD. Featuring blazing-fast speeds and award-winning design, the new My Passport SSD compliments the company's leading portfolio of My Passport palm-sized storage devices. Designed for content creators and tech enthusiasts, the new My Passport SSD combines exceptional speed and portability to manage massive files on the go.

"The WD brand is focused on delivering fresh, new personal storage devices that offer amazing performance in a beautiful, yet durable design," said Sven Rathjen, vice president of marketing, Client Solutions, Western Digital. "Our fastest portable drive yet, the My Passport SSD is a powerful solution for people who need to move content quickly and easily wherever life takes them."

QNAP Systems, Inc. today released the TS-x31P NAS series, including the TS-131P, TS-231P, and TS-431P. Powered by an AnnapurnaLabs, an Amazon company Alpine AL-212 dual-core 1.7GHz processor, this series provides a high-performance and secure private cloud NAS solution tailored for home, SOHO and workgroup users. In addition to basic requirements such as file storage, sharing and backup, the TS-x31P series supports value-added cloud-based note-taking app, centralized email account management, contacts management, and abundant multimedia applications.

"A cost-efficient and reliable NAS solution is undoubtedly a key investment for small businesses and organizations to improve workflow efficiency; whereas home users generally like simple and practical storage devices with real-time data accessibility that helps create a modern digital home," said Dan Lin, Product Manager of QNAP. "The TS-x31P is designed to fulfill such user needs to ensure data security and to bring a comprehensive business and multimedia experience," added Lin.

Thermaltake gaming hardware brand Tt eSports today announced the Black FP gaming mouse with integrated fingerprint sensor, which it had first unveiled at the 2016 International CES, earlier this year. The mouse, which is mostly based on the Black V2 platform, integrates a Synaptics IronVeil fingerprint sensor located along its left side, just above where you'd rest your right thumb.

The Synaptics IronVeil sensor is compliant with FIDO-UAF specifications, and has an NSA-approved software path to your machine. Your machine sees the sensor as a separate device. Data from this sensor is encrypted with the 256-bit AES standard. The sensor can be used to authenticate a variety of functions such as Windows Hello machine login, game-client login, in-game purchase authentication, and biometric file encryption. As a mouse, it gives you an Avago 9500 sensor with 5,700 dpi laser sensor resolution, Omron switches, 7 programmable buttons, Teflon glide bases, and adjustable weights. Available now, the Tt eSports Black FP is priced at US $59.99.

Thanks to AMD's incorporation of an ARM-based "AMD Secure Processor" in their upcoming ZEN micro-architecture, the company is poised to offer something competitor Intel's microprocessors yet don't: memory encryption. This processor, and its underlying technologies, could prove to be a stepping-stone for AMD towards regaining lost server market share. Essentially, because in a market ever more steered by cloud computing considerations, it allows for the client's data to be encrypted at every moment of the work chain. Assuming all works as intended, for the first time not even cloud providers, with either hypervisor-level privileges or even physical access to the servers, will be able to carry out any malicious actions against their clients.

One only has to consider the writing on the wall: Morgan Stanley predicts that by 2018, 30% of Microsoft's revenue will stem from its cloud services; Amazon Web Services (AWS) generated $7.88B in revenue on Q4 2015, up 69% over 2014; and worldwide spending on public cloud services by itself will grow from $70B in 2015 to an estimated $141B in 2019. Cloud computing is here to stay, and with security being as important as it is for some businesses, this is an important area of investment for AMD. This "AMD Secure Processor" will work on essentially two fronts: SME (Secure Memory Encryption) and SEV (Secure Encrypted Virtualization), backed by an hardware-based SHA (Secure Hash Algorithm).

AMD Tuesday hosted a ZEN microarchitecture deep-dive presentation in the backdrop of Hot Chips, outlining its road to a massive 40 percent gain in IPC (translated roughly as per-core performance gains), over the current "Excavator" microarchitecture. The company credits the gains to three major changes with ZEN: better core engine, better cache system, and lower power. With ZEN, AMD pulled back from its "Bulldozer" approach to cores, in which two cores share certain number-crunching components to form "modules," and back to a self-sufficient core design.

Beyond cores, the next-level subunit of the ZEN architecture is the CPU-Complex (CCX), in which four cores share an 8 MB L3 cache. This isn't different from current Intel architectures, the cores share nothing beyond L3 cache, making them truly independent. What makes ZEN a better core, besides its independence from other cores, and additional integer pipelines; subtle upscaling in key ancillaries such as micro-Op dispatch, instruction schedulers; retire, load, and store queues; and a larger quad-issue FPU.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., an expert provider of advanced memory solutions for more than three decades, today announced worldwide availability of the 750 EVO solid state drive (SSD) in 120GB, 250GB and an all new 500GB capacity. The 750 EVO SSDs provide mainstream consumers and PC builders with an efficient migration path from hard disk drives (HDDs) or slow performing entry-level SSDs to a faster and more reliable storage solution for every day computer use.

"Samsung is committed to constantly evolving and providing high-quality memory solutions that fit general consumer needs," said Un-Soo Kim, Senior Vice President of Branded Product Marketing, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. "We have seen high consumer demand for our 750 EVO in the 120GB and 250GB capacities, which have been available in select emerging markets since last year. We want to meet the consumers' expectation who seek a reliable memory solution to extend the longevity of their existing computers in an easy and effective way. By adding the 500GB version to the current 750 EVO line-up and supplying the drives to more regions, consumers who need high data consumption will be better served."

Samsung announced the SSD T3 line of portable solid state drives. Measuring 74 mm x 58 mm x 10.5 mm (LxWxH), and weighing in at 51 g, the drives are more compact than the T1 line of portable SSDs by the company. Available in capacities of 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB, the drives take advantage of USB 3.0 interface, with a single cable handling both power and host connectivity, and serving up sequential transfer-rates of up to 450 MB/s. The drives feature 256-bit AES native encryption, and a password authentication that works on Windows (Windows 7 and above), OS X (OS X 10.7 and above), and Android (4.4 "KitKat" and above). Backed by 3-year warranties, the 250 GB variant is priced at US $130, the 500 GB variant $220, 1 TB variant $430, and 2 TB variant $850.

Synology Inc. today launched the DiskStation DS216+. The high-performance 2-bay NAS server is aimed at home and small office users who want an efficient and secure storage solution to protect and share data, while enjoying on-the-fly video transcoding.

"With a powerful NAS storage solution, small offices gain access to high-speed file sharing, application serving, and online collaboration. Home users can also transcode and stream high quality video to all of their devices. The DS216+ is designed exactly for these functions. Our users have high expectations, and the DS216+ shows our commitment to meeting our users' needs," said Jones Tsai, hardware design director of Synology Inc.

Changingtec, the information security experts, are introducing a new kind of hassle-free encryption device for consumers. The GuardKey USB encryption dongle lets anyone easily secure their files with military-grade 256-bit encryption, and decrypt them by simply plugging the GuardKey into their computer. Rather than being limited to the amount of data on a USB stick, GuardKey secures any number of files and folders on the host computer, external drives connected to the computer, or even data stored on the Cloud.

GuardKey makes military-grade encryption easy. Make a SafeBox folder on the drives you like and everything stored inside is automatically secured with 256-bit AES encryption. To access files, simply plug in the GuardKey and the SafeBox is decrypted. When finished, unplug the GuardKey and the SafeBox not only locks up again but disappears from the file explorer.

Thecus Technology Corp. today announced the launch of its newest 2-bay NAS, the N2810, a NAS server designed to optimize multitasking and provide seamless 4K multimedia playback. The N2810 is equipped with the newest generation Intel Braswell N3050 1.6 GHz dual-core processors (burst to 2.16 GHz) and 2 GB DDR3 RAM. Furthermore the N2810 supports AES-NI encryption engine for increased performance and enhanced security.

"The N2810 steps up to the challenges that 4K playback creates and provides a robust hardware platform that is able to handle multiple tasks with ease," said Florence Shih, CEO at Thecus Technology Corp. "With the recent development of our newest operating system, ThecusOS 7.0, we are elated to announce that the N2810 will be the first Thecus NAS to be released with the new software."

Samsung Electronics today announced the introduction of the Samsung 950 PRO solid state drive (SSD), designed to meet the demands of high-performance consumer and business laptops and PCs. The drive's M.2 form factor means that users with ultra-slim notebook PCs and workstations can benefit from industry-leading storage endurance, reliability and energy efficiency.

The Samsung 950 PRO SSD is Samsung's first consumer-ready Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) M.2 form factor SSD with vertical NAND (V-NAND) technology; supporting the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) 3.0 interface. With the introduction of NVMe, the first protocol optimized for SSDs, users of the Samsung 950 PRO will benefit from improved performance and power saving which can help increase battery life and potentially reduce operating costs. The drive is ideal for professionals who want cutting-edge performance, higher bandwidth and lower latency from their high-end PCs and workstations, for projects such as computer-aided design, data analysis and engineering simulation. The compact M.2 2280 form factor ensures compatibility with next-generation desktop and mobile platforms that support the M.2 PCIe slot and interface.

SMART High Reliability Solutions ("SMART HRS"), a provider of current and next-generation solid-state storage solutions specializing in ruggedized, high-performance and high-capacity solid-state drives ("SSDs") for defense, aerospace and industrial markets, today announced its HRS-S3 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s SSD, which has been successfully sampling with key customers, is now available in volume quantities to qualified customers. As the latest in a robust line of products from SMART HRS that emphasizes the company's exclusive focus on solid-state storage solutions, the HRS-S3 is ideal for industrial temperature applications.

Building on the accomplishments of SMART HRS's long line of SSD products for the defense industry, the HRS-S3 SSD delivers performance metrics of 500MB/s sequential read and 400MB/s sequential write speeds while delivering 35K IOPS and 20K IOPS respectively during random operation. Using highly reliable single-level-cell (SLC) NAND Flash, the HRS-S3 is available in capacities ranging from 120 to 960GB.

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation, a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid state storage devices, today announced that its SM2256 SATA (6 Gb/s) client SSD controller now supports Micron's new 16 nm 128 gigabit (Gb) TLC NAND flash, enabling high-performance and unprecedented reliability for a new class of cost-effective TLC-based SSDs.

SM2256, the world's first SSD controller supporting Micron's 16nm TLC NAND, offers the best performance and cost-optimized four channel SATA 6 Gb/s client SSD controller in the market. Using Micron's 128 Gb 16 nm TLC NAND, the SM2256 delivers up to 540 MB/s sequential read performance and 460 MB/s sequential write, as well as up to 90,000 random read IOPS and 80,000 random write IOPS. Leveraging Silicon Motion's proprietary NANDXtend error-correcting code (ECC) technology, the SM2256 enhances the endurance and retention of TLC NAND, delivering more than three times better reliability for TLC SSD as compared to the existing BCH ECC schemes.

Intel quietly announced availability of its DC S3510 SSDs for data centers. Built in the 2.5-inch form-factor, with SATA 6 Gb/s interface, these drives feature SET (standard-endurance technology) MLC NAND flash built by IMFlash Technology, on a 16 nanometer node, which can take in up to 880 TBW. Its controller offers native 256-bit AES encryption. The drive is available in capacities of 80 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB, 480 GB, 800 GB, 1.2 TB, and 1.6 TB. The table below shows sequential and 4K random access performance figures by the company for each model. The drives are backed by 5-year warranties, and are available in the OEM channel. Its target consumers are low-cost dedicated hosting providers.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced the new affordable, 4-bay 1U rackmount TS-451U Turbo NAS, featuring a dual-core Intel Celeron 2.41GHz processor that delivers high multi-tasking abilities for small & home offices in handling daily operations including file storage, backup, sharing, synchronization, and more. Designed for scalability, the storage capacity of the TS-451U can be easily expanded with an economical expansion enclosure to meet the needs of growing data storage.

"In the entry-level rack-mountable NAS segment, we are glad to be the first NAS company to introduce the energy-efficient, 64-bit Celeron-powered TS-451U, which is designed for budget-conscious SOHO users to store and back up data without sacrificing performance," said Jason Hsu, product manager of QNAP. "Coupled with feature-rich business applications, QvPC Technology, Virtualization Station and 1080p video transcoding, the TS-451U delivers the best cost-effectiveness for growing business data needs."

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced a pair of next-generation encrypted USB Flash drives designed to safeguard an organization's valuable data. The DataTraveler 4000 Gen. 2 and DataTraveler 4000 Gen. 2 Management Ready protect sensitive information with high-level encryption.

DataTraveler 4000 G2 is FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified so it provides a tamper-evident seal for physical security to detect and respond to attempts to access, use or modify the cryptographic module. Data is protected by hardware-based 256-bit AES encryption in XTS mode and the drive casing is made of titanium coated stainless steel. The drive is designed to reduce the possibility of successful brute force attacks as it locks down and reformats after 10 failed password attempts.

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today introduced the Toshiba Encrypted USB Flash Drive, a device that utilizes a hardware based encryption process to deliver a robust, secure (military grade AES 256-bit encryption), easy to use and affordable solution to safely make sensitive data portable. Ideal for enterprise companies, government agencies and concerned consumers, the Toshiba Encrypted USB Flash Drive offers a higher assurance of security.

Available in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities, the Toshiba Encrypted USB Flash Drive uses a built-in mini-keyboard to authenticate access, incorporating a rechargeable battery so the user can enter a secure code before plugging into a USB port. Users simply enter their secure PIN and plug the drive into any USB 2.0 port on a compatible device. Once access is granted, the drive "unlocks" the media, permitting clearance to all of the content stored on the drive. When the drive is removed from a USB port, the drive automatically re-locks and encrypts the stored media.

Lite-On Storage, a leading developer of enterprise flash storage technology, today introduced its CV2 family of solid-state drives during a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Solid-state drives are faster and more affordable than ever. Lite-On also improves their reliability with its CV2 family armed with next-generation low-density parity-check (LDPC) technology.

Lite-On's CV2 is the first SSD powered by Marvell's four-channel 88SS1074 controller, enabling support for 256-bit AES encryption, an ultra-low-power DEVSLP state for extended battery life in mobile devices, and the latest flash memory interfaces. Lite-On's firmware engineers take that cutting-edge feature set and tune it, optimizing every aspect of the storage platform.

The 88SS1074 is matched up to triple-level-cell Toshiba A19 NAND in capacities of 128, 256, and 512GB. By implementing the controller's LDPC error-correcting technology, Lite-On extends the CV2's endurance as much as 33%, hitting reliability levels previously only attainable with MLC flash. The result is an SSD rated for 2,000 program-erase cycles and protected by a three-year warranty.

Crucial, a leading global brand of memory and storage upgrades, today announced two new solid state drives (SSDs): the Crucial MX200, built to deliver leading speeds and features, and the Crucial BX100, designed to offer substantial yet affordable performance gains compared to a hard drive.

Crucial MX200 SSD: Available in 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB capacities with respective MSRPs of £107.99, £191.99, and £360.99, the new Crucial MX200 delivers sequential reads and write up to 555MB/s and 500MB/s, along with random reads and writes up to 100k and 87k IOPS on all file types. Additionally, with an endurance rating up to 320 TBW (total bytes written) on the 1TB model, the Crucial MX200 delivers up to five times more endurance than a typical client SSD.