SP/ Silicon Power, a leading provider of memory storage solutions, launches its new High Endurance microSDHC/microSDXC cards especially designed for car video recorders, security cameras and surveillance systems. These write-intensive applications crucially depend on the highest level of reliability to provide trustworthy proof in the most decisive moments. Equipped with high-quality MLC NAND flash chips, SP's new high Endurance micro SDHC/microSDXC card meets this special requirement by achieving up to 12,000 hours of 64 GB Full HD video recording.

Additional key features for reliable and speedy performance are the card's built- in error correction code (ECC) function technology for high data transmission safety and full support of Ultra High Speed Class 3 (U3) specification.

Micron Technology, Inc. today introduced the Micron Enterprise 5100 Series SATA solid state drive (SSD) family, enabling future-focused data storage platforms to meet the combined demands of performance, capacity and enterprise-class reliability. Micron's 5100 Series Enterprise SATA SSDs provide IT with an easy migration to bridge the infrastructure divide to tomorrow's all flash data center. With an industry-leading 8-terabyte (TB) capacity, the 5100 Series helps you manage the data deluge created by today's diverse digital universe with performance characteristics perfectly tailored to manage the data tsunami.

"Micron is uniquely positioned to help IT embrace modernization and agility, and leading enterprise and cloud data centers look to Micron for breadth and depth in solid state storage solutions to tame a diverse digital universe," Darren Thomas, vice president of storage at Micron. "Our Micron 5100 Series SATA SSDs featuring FlexPro architecture offer a seamless migration path with enterprise class reliability and proven ROI, ensuring flexibility, continuity and agility for data management today and tomorrow."

Business. Business never changes. Whether you're for Keynes or Hayek, some truths just can't be escaped: and the one based on the market tending to equilibrium between the forces of supply and demand is oft times almost akin to a law of physics - other times, not so much. This time, it appears as if the market forces are steering NAND prices through the roof. The causes? Varied, though you probably carry one of them in your pocket most of the time. We earlier reported surging prices in the DRAM market, spurred by the Note 7 fiasco and increased production of that smartphone's competitors (and Samsung's own products) to fill the gaping hole left by its forcible market removal. But not only by DRAM are smartphones powered - they also make use of NAND flash.

The specialist for high-performance digital memory technology and Solid State Drive products (SSD), Plextor, presents its new generation of ultra-light, small form factor, high-speed external SSD with OTG support and only 30g in weight: the Plextor EX1. The Plextor EX1 specifications are designed for high speeds, with the USB Type-C interface supporting USB 3.1 Gen2 standard, and delivering a 10x higher speed compared to the USB 2.0 interface, delivering continuous read/write speeds of 550 and 500 MB/s respectively.

The strength of the EX1 series is based on the core components used, including high-quality TLC NAND flash memory manufactured using Hynix's 16nm process, as well as the latest generation of controller ICs from SMI. Plextor has also developed an advanced firmware, and includes the PlexNitro application for increased user control. The Plextor EX1 will be available in stores from the end of November in three different storage capacities with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. The EX1 complies with Plextor's stringent quality requirements, including a 3-year warrant. Pricing will be announced at a later date.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC) has enhanced its lineup of managed NAND devices with the addition of new Embedded Multimedia Card (e-MMC) and Universal Flash Storage (UFS) embedded memory solutions. Featuring enhanced integrated controller technologies, the new 'Supreme+' e-MMC (JEDEC ver. 5.1) and UFS (JEDEC ver. 2.1) offerings deliver significant read and write speed improvements to demanding applications.

In contrast to raw NAND flash memory solutions, e-MMC and UFS devices integrate NAND flash memory and a controller chip in a single package. This saves space and relieves host processors of the burden of key memory management functions including bad block management, error correction, wear leveling, and garbage collection. As a result, e-MMC and UFS devices simplify design when compared to standalone memory ICs with a standard NAND flash interface.

Seagate has officially updated their FireCuda line, the solid-state supported, high-capacity hybrid drives. The new, 5th Gen models sport a thinner form-factor (2.5"), rocking the company's multi-tier cache technology as well as 1 TB SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) plates. The SMR plate's difference compared to conventional, perpendicular recording HDD technology allows these hybrid drives to increase storage density by up to 25%, by allowing newly-written magnetic tracks to partly overlap previously-written ones, reducing the amount of platter real-estate occupied.

The caveat with this technology is that the overlapping-tracks architecture may slow down the writing process, since writing to one track overwrites adjacent tracks, and requires them to be rewritten as well. However, according to Seagate, the large, multi-tier cache technology and large NAND caches are enough to offset any performance loss incurred by the SMR technology employed on these drives, and then some.

The Intel-Micron joint collaboration in the development of what is promised to be the next step in storage technology is inching ever closer to reality. According to Bench Life, which published a leaked specifications list for the upcoming Intel Optane Memory products, the first application for consumer-grade 3D XPoint technology straddles the line between an SSD and system RAM. Intel calls it a "System Accelerator" solution, and it's meant to operate as an intermediate caching solution between a system's RAM and storage. Codenamed "Stony Beach", Intel's 8000p (and entire 3D XPoint-based products) support is still up in the air, but it's expected that only Kaby Lake and subsequent platforms will be compatible with the technology - which, if true, is sure to limit the product's market penetration.

The consumer products will initially sport capacities of either 16GB or 32GB, leveraging the NVMe protocol at PCIe Gen 3.0 x2 bandwidth in the M.2 form-factor. Mirroring NAND technology, the greater capacity solution will sport the highest performance: with the 16GB part coming in at 1400 MB/s read and 300 MB/s write speeds, against the 32 GB's 1600 MB/s and 400 MB/s, respectively. We see similar results in regards to IOPS, with the 16GB solution offering up to 285,000 read and 70,000 write operations per second, against the 32 GB's solution respective 300,000 read and 120,000 write. As usual with new technologies, expect all these metrics to only go up in time.

Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a worldwide leader in advanced memory solutions for more than two decades, today unveiled the Samsung 960 PRO and 960 EVO, its newest solid state drives (SSDs). The V-NAND based, M.2 form factor SSDs were built on the company's category-defining Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) SSD leadership. With powerful performance, endurance and capacity topped with all new and more robust Samsung Magician software package, Samsung continues to accelerate the NVMe era.

Packed with more technology and innovation than ever, the 960 PRO and 960 EVO are designed for users who seek smaller and faster storage solutions that deliver higher bandwidth and lower latency for processing massive amounts of data for everything from gaming and large file transfers to 4K video rendering, data analytics and more on their ultra-thin notebooks and PCs.

Marvell, a world leader in storage, cloud infrastructure, Internet of Things (IoT), connectivity and multimedia semiconductor solutions, today announced the expansion of its solid-state drive (SSD) portfolio to include the 88NV1160 Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) Express DRAM-less SSD controller. Marvell's 88NV1160 DRAM-less SSD controller provides the industry's leading performance per Watt and up to 1600MB/s read speeds. The 88NV1160 can be used in a single ball grid array (BGA) package SSD, as well as in a standalone controller in a tiny 9x10mm package which makes it compatible with M.2230 and M.2242 form factors. These features make the 88NV1160 optimized for a new generation of slim computing devices such as productivity tablets and ultrabooks. The new controller is currently available for sampling to key customers globally.

"As the world's leading storage controller provider, Marvell has a long track record of bringing to market world-class innovations, including the pioneering integration of Host Memory Buffer technology into DRAM-less products. Working closely with other ecosystem leaders, Marvell has continued to advance the industry and drive a new generation of low power, small form factor mobile computing systems," said Dr. David Chen, Vice President of SSD Business at Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. "The 88NV1160 controller is optimally engineered for high performance tablets and ultrabooks, providing unparalleled performance per Watt and the largest NAND compatibility on the market."

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC), a committed technology leader, will showcase its new BG series solid state drive (SSD) family featuring cutting-edge BiCS FLASH with 3-bit-per-cell TLC (triple-level cell) technology and Toshiba's new single-package ball grid array (BGA) NVMe PCI Express (PCIe) Gen3 x2 SSD at the 2016 Flash Memory Summit held in Santa Clara, California between August 8 - 11. Delivering a smaller footprint, lower power consumption and better performance than traditional storage options, the BG SSD series is purpose-built for the future wave of ultra-thin mobile PCs, including 2-in-1 convertible notebooks and tablets.

With a surface area 95 percent smaller than conventional 2.5-inch SATA storage devices and 82 percent smaller than M.2 Type 22806, the Toshiba BG series condenses both the controller and NAND flash memory in a single 16 mm x 20 mm BGA package enabling device manufacturers to prioritize features like battery capacity for longer operating times. The BG series is also available mounted on a M.2 Type 22307 module for applications requiring socketed storage. BG SSDs utilize BiCS FLASH, a three-dimensional (3D) stacked cell structure, making it possible to accommodate up to 512 GB of storage capacity in this high-performance and compact form factor. Additionally, the BG series SSDs utilize an in-house Toshiba-developed controller and firmware for a full, vertically developed solution, ensuring technology is tightly integrated for optimal performance, power consumption and reliability.

Western Digital Corp. today announced that it has successfully developed its next generation 3D NAND technology, BiCS3, with 64 layers of vertical storage capability. Pilot production of the new technology has commenced in the Yokkaichi, Japan joint venture facilities and initial output is expected later this year. Western Digital expects meaningful commercial volumes of BiCS3 in the first half of calendar 2017.

"The launch of the next generation 3D NAND technology based on our industry-leading 64 layer architecture reinforces our leadership in NAND flash technology," said Dr. Siva Sivaram, executive vice president, memory technology, Western Digital. "BiCS3 will feature the use of 3-bits-per-cell technology along with advances in high aspect ratio semiconductor processing to deliver higher capacity, superior performance and reliability at an attractive cost. Together with BiCS2, our 3D NAND portfolio has broadened significantly, enhancing our ability to address a full spectrum of customer applications in retail, mobile and data center."

Toshiba Corporation and Western Digital Corporation today celebrated the opening of the New Fab 2 semiconductor fabrication facility located in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Expanded use of flash memory in smartphones, SSDs, and other applications is driving continued growth of the global flash memory market. The New Fab 2 facility will support the conversion of the companies' 2D NAND capacity to 3D flash memory, allowing realization of solutions offering higher densities and better device performance.

Construction of New Fab 2 began in September 2014. Following partial completion of the facility in October 2015, Toshiba and SanDisk (acquired in May 2016 by Western Digital Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Digital Corporation) worked together to implement leading-edge manufacturing capabilities for mass production of 3D flash memory, and first-phase production started in March of this year. The parties intend to further invest to expand production capacity over time, depending on market conditions.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced its newest embedded SLC NAND Flash optimized for the next generation of Internet of Things (IoT) and automotive applications. Available with differing interfaces to accommodate design, Micron's second generation Serial (SPI) NAND and fifth generation parallel SLC NAND, offers the industry's best-in-class reliability1 and read and program performance, ease of design and advanced security features.

Gartner projects that the IoT endpoint hardware and services market will rise to a $3.5 trillion industry by 20202. As system designers seek embedded solutions to power the performance for the connected home, wearables and the connected car, the technical demands have raised the bar for the security and seamlessness for ingredient semiconductor suppliers. Micron's newest SLC NAND addresses these needs for high-performance storage technology to propel the market forward.

"Micron works closely with chipset partners and customers within the ecosystem to design tomorrow's products that meet the complex NAND requirements fueled by IoT and automotive," said Aravind Ramamoorthy, product line director of NAND flash for Micron's Embedded Business Unit. "The new SLC NAND Flash technology enable a new category of embedded applications that need reliable, high-performance, low pin count and secure4 memory for code and low density data storage."

A new entrant to the client SSD space, Maxiotek showed off its first controllers for SATA client drives. The first two controllers launched include the Maxiotek MK8113, designed for drives with DRAM caches, and the MK8115, designed for cost-effective DRAM-less NAND flash drives. The MK8113 support 2D and 3D (stacked) MLC, and 2D SLC NAND flash, with capacities of up to 2 TB. The MK8115, on the other hand, supports 3D (stacked) TLC NAND flash in addition to 2D SLC, 2D and 3D MLC, with capacities of up to 1 TB. Both controllers support the latest native encryption standards, including 256-bit AES, SM4, SED, and TCG-OPAL. Exclusive features include AgileECC (an efficient ECC method), WriteBooster (garbage collection and TRIM), Frequency Throttling (power management), and VPR (virtual parity recovery). ADATA is one of the launch partners, and already has an MK8115-based drive.

OCZ is refining its popular consumer SSD brands to reach out to more buyers. As part of the integration with Toshiba, they rebranded their consumer SSD lines, to VT180, and the TR150, which more closely aligns with Toshiba's SSD model naming. Besides the naming, both drives are identical to the Vector 180 and Trion 150. The VT180 comes in capacities ranging from 120 GB to 960 GB, and is powered by Toshiba-made MLC NAND flash. These drives offer sequential transfer rates of up to 550 MB/s reads, with up to 530 MB/s writes, and 96,000 IOPS 4K random reads, with 90,000 IOPS 4K random writes. The TR150, on the other hand, runs TLC NAND flash memory, and although its maximum sequential speeds are rated the same as the VT180 series, their 4K random access numbers are different - 87,000 IOPS reads, and 83,000 IOPS writes.

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."

Transcend Information, Inc., a leading manufacturer of industrial-grade flash and DRAM products, is proud to announce the release of its industrial-grade SuperMLC microSD cards. Positioned between its SLC and MLC NAND flash offerings, Transcend's exclusive SuperMLC technology features a cost-effective solution that offers performance close to that of SLC NAND flash. The newly-released SuperMLC microSD cards boast high-performance, exceptional endurance, and wide temperature tolerance (-40°C to 85°C) at affordable prices, ideal for industrial applications such as medical devices, surveillance systems, and POS terminals.

Combining the benefits of both Single-Level Cell (SLC) and Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND flash, Transcend has successfully developed SuperMLC technology by reprogramming the two bits per cell of MLC into one bit per cell, greatly boosting its performance. The transfer speed of Transcend's new UHS-I Class 1 SuperMLC microSD cards can reach up to 95MB/s, double the speed of MLC flash chips. Although total capacity is reduced, SuperMLC offers a good balance for industrial applications that demand quality that is comparable to SLC NAND flash at a cost-effective price.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it is now shipping the industry's largest solid state drive (SSD) - the "PM1633a," a 15.36 terabyte (TB) drive. First revealed at the 2015 Flash Memory Summit in August, the 15.36TB SSD is based on a 12Gb/s Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface, for use in enterprise storage systems. Because the PM1633a comes in a 2.5-inch form factor, enterprise storage managers can fit twice as many of the drives in a standard 19-inch, 2U rack, compared to an equivalent 3.5-inch storage drive

"To satisfy an increasing market need for ultra-high-capacity SAS SSDs from leading enterprise storage system manufacturers, we are directing our best efforts toward meeting our customers' SSD requests," said Jung-bae Lee, Senior Vice President, Memory Product Planning and Application Engineering Team, Samsung Electronics. "We will continue to lead the industry with next-generation SSDs, using our advanced 3D V-NAND memory technology, in order to accelerate the growth of the premium memory market while delivering greater performance and efficiency to our customers."

Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) today announced that Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), a leading independent proxy advisory firm, has issued a report recommending that Western Digital shareholders vote to approve the issuance of Western Digital stock (the NASDAQ Stock Issuance Proposal) in the proposed acquisition of SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) and all other proposals described in Western Digital's proxy statement/prospectus relating to the company's special meeting of shareholders to be held on March 15, 2016.

"We are pleased that ISS has recommended voting in favor of this compelling combination," said Steve Milligan, chief executive officer of Western Digital. "The Western Digital Board of Directors believes that the acquisition of SanDisk is the best strategic option for the company and the path that creates the most long-term value for shareholders. This combination is the next step in our ongoing strategy to transform Western Digital into a leading storage solutions company with global scale, extensive product and technology assets, and deep expertise in non-volatile memory."

A FAST '16 paper titled "Flash Reliability in Production: The Expected and the Unexpected," by Professor Bianca Schroeder of the University of Toronto, and Raghav Lagisetty and Arif Merchant of Google, studied the reliability data from millions of SSD drive-days over a period of 6 years, to come up with some very interesting conclusions on SSD reliability. One of the study's biggest findings is that high-end (read: enterprise) SSDs with single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory are no more reliable than cheaper multi-level cell (MLC) drives. Besides millions of drive-hours, the group also studied 10 different models of enterprise and consumer SSDs, from three different memory types - MLC NAND, SLC NAND, and eMLC NAND.

The study also shows that RBER (raw bit error rate) is a more dependable measure of reliability than UBER (uncorrectable bit error rate) mentioned in drive specs or datasheets. RBER increases slower than expected from wearout, and isn't correlated with UBER. However, the measured/real-world UBER is higher for SSDs than HDDs. This means that while SSDs are less likely to "fail" than HDDs, they're more likely to lose portions of their data. Keep your SSDs regularly imaged. Age, rather than usage, affects reliability of SSDs. A disturbing 30-80% of SSDs in the study developed at least one bad-block, and 2-7% of the SSDs developed at least one bad chip, within the first 4 years of deployment.

Toshiba Corporation's Semiconductor & Storage Products Company today announced the launch of the "SG5 series" of client SSDs integrating NAND chips fabricated with 15nm TLC process technology. The new products, which include high capacity 1024GB models, will be available in 2.5-type and M.2 2280 (single- and double-sided) form factors, to meet various mounting requirements from the expansion of SSD application fields. Sample shipments start from today.

The SG5 series is equipped with Toshiba's proprietary QSBC (Quadruple Swing-By Code) error correction technology, a highly efficient error correction code (ECC) which helps protect customer data from corruption and improves reliability. Toshiba will continue strengthening its SSD lineup, meeting the various needs of users and leading the continuously expanding SSD market.

Sony is making its international debut in consumer SSDs, with the SLW-M series. The company was selling some of its first SSDs locally in Japan. Built in the 7 mm thick 2.5-inch form-factor, the drives feature SATA 6 Gb/s interface, and come in capacities of 240 GB (SLW-MG2) and 480 GB (SLW-MG4). There's no word on the controller or NAND flash make, but the company is advertising performance figures of up to 560 MB/s reads, with up to 530 MB/s writes. A 9.5 mm spacer, and a license to Acronis True image 2015 HD come included. Sony is also including its very own drive management software, the Sony SSD Toolbox.Update: DIYPC HK posted a picture of the drive's PCB. It reveals a rebranded Phison S10 series controller, and Toshiba A19 TLC NAND flash.

Marvell, a world leader in storage, cloud infrastructure, Internet of Things (IoT), connectivity and multimedia semiconductor solutions, today announced expansion of its Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) solid-state drive (SSD) controller technology to support Host Memory Buffer (HMB), an NVMe revision 1.2 feature enabling DRAM-less SSDs to use host memory and achieve performance comparable to SSD designs with embedded DRAM but at much lower cost and power consumption. Marvell's 88NV1140 marks the industry's first SSD controller that supports HMB. Furthermore Marvell is partnering with other leaders in the PC ecosystem to accelerate the adoption of HMB-enabled SSDs for a new generation of low power, small form factor mobile computing systems.

"As the world's leading SSD controller provider, Marvell has once again made a unique contribution to the storage industry by pioneering the integration of Host Memory Buffer technology into DRAM-less products," said David Chen, Vice President of SSD Business at Marvell. "The HMB feature greatly enhances system memory utilization, reduces total system cost, lowers power consumption and provides consumers with a new class of mobile computing devices. I am very pleased with our ongoing collaboration with leading ecosystem partners and look forward to the fast adoption of HMB in the broad consumer market."

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of highperformance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products,today launched the industrial-grade ISSS332 2.5" SATA III (6Gb/s) solid state drive. Available in SLC and MLC NAND Flash types that withstand a wide temperature range, the ISSS332 provides excellent performance and durability for a broad spectrum of industrial equipment applications.

Utilizing fast SLC and MLC NAND Flash, the ISSS332 features outstanding performance and reliability with sequential read/write speeds up to 560MB/450MB per second and an MTBF (mean time before failure) rating of 2 million hours. Thanks to an industrial-grade operational temperature range of -40°C to 90°C, the ISSS332 enables long term deployment in harsh environments that experience extreme cold and heat.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of highperformance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, today launched the Lightning Card Reader for Apple iOS devices, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod. Fully MFi certified, the accessory connects to Apple devices using the Lightning interface and brings users convenient interconnectivity and storage expansion with SD and microSD cards. It is the first peripheral in its segment with two-way data transfer, meaning read and write, and the first to combine SD and microSD on one reader. The Lightning Card Reader uses durable materials and a flexible cable to ensure long-lasting and reliable operation, and arrives bundled with a free data management app.

While existing Lightning card readers support one way data movement to import files from cards to devices, ADATA technology supports file import and export so users can freely move content to and from the reader to iPhone, iPad, and iPod. The Lightning Card Reader has SD and microSD slots, so it offers universal compatibility with one of the most popular storage mediums in the world. By comparison, other products in its segment feature either SD or microSD, but not both. This enables simple storage expansion for iOS devices which is also very cost-effective, as users can employ existing cards rather than having to purchase proprietary expansion cards or additional hardware.