Plextor is expected to launch its value SATA SSD line, the M6V, on 17th July, 2015. The drive combines a Silicon Motion SMI-2246 controller, with Toshiba A19 TLC NAND flash chips. The drive comes in capacities of 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB, with DRAM cache sizes of 128 MB, 256 MB, and 512 MB, respectively. All three variants offer sequential read speeds of up to 535 MB/s, while their sequential write speeds are rated up to 170 MB/s, 335 MB/s, and 455 MB/s, respectively. Common features include NCQ, TRIM, and native 256-bit AES encryption. There's a likelihood of Plextor introducing a few new features, such as PlexVault, a software that encrypts and stores your data in hidden partitions, and PlexCompressor, which compresses the least accessed data on your drive.

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today introduced the iNAND 7232 storage solution, a new, advanced embedded flash drive (EFD) optimized to deliver best-in-class imaging performance and superior storage capacity in flagship mobile devices. Available in capacities up to 128 GB, the iNAND 7232 storage solution enables original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to introduce smartphones, tablets and other connected devices that feature ample storage to meet the needs of increasing consumer content while providing data-rich application experiences and next-generation digital photography capabilities.

"From North America to China, consumers are demanding higher and higher capacity storage," said Christopher Bergey, SanDisk's vice president and general manager of Mobile and Tablet Solutions. "Our iNAND 7232 storage solution not only enables mobile OEMs to cost-effectively deliver the robust storage mobile users want, it is also our most advanced embedded storage solution to date. It leverages new, innovative application-level storage architecture and SanDisk's latest 15 nanometer flash storage technology to enable outstanding application experiences, terrific 4K Ultra HD video capture and digital photography experiences never before possible in flagship smartphones."

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.

SK Hynix Inc. announced it has developed UFS (Universal Flash Storage) 2.0 64 GB (Gigabytes) solution based on its own 16 nm NAND Flash and in-house firmware and controller. This UFS 2.0 represents a groundbreaking leap in performance by enabling High-Speed Gear 3 interface with dual data lanes.

UFS 2.0 is the next generation of embedded flash memory to eMMC for mobile IT gadgets which drives a remarkable boost in reading/writing speed at low power and supports high density. The Company's UFS 2.0 operates at 780 MB/s(Megabytes per second) and 160 MB/s of sequential read/write speed and runs random read/write speed at 32,000 IOPS and 17,000 IOPS. As a result, it works three times faster in read speed than eMMC 5.1.

In addition, this UFS 2.0 utilizes 'Command Queue' technology used in SSD solutions to handle read and write commands simultaneously to achieve data operation efficiency by preventing buffering load in multi-tasking and ordering priorities of data works. To maximize prioritized command processing feature of UFS standard, the device employs 'Multi-Thread' read processing internally to ensure that high priority command is serviced first irrespective of other outstanding tasks, delivering fast response to time-critical host requests for best user experience. In consequence, it realizes even better performance in speed and power consumption over eMMC.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a market leader in advanced memory technology and an innovator in consumer electronics, today introduced the 2-terabyte (TB) 850 PRO and 850 EVO solid state drives (SSDs). Samsung's 3D Vertical NAND (V-NAND) based retail SSD lineup now features 20 different products with a wide range of capacity options from 120 gigabyte (GB) to 2TB. Available in 50 countries, the launch of the 2TB drives addresses the ever-increasing consumer demand for high-performance and high-capacity memory solutions.

"Samsung experienced a surge in demand for 500 gigabyte (GB) and higher capacity SSDs with the introduction of our V-NAND SSDs. The release of the 2TB SSD is a strong driver into the era of multi-terabyte SSD solutions," said Un-Soo Kim, Senior Vice President of Branded Product Marketing, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. "We will continue to expand our ultra-high performance and large density SSD product portfolio and provide a new computing experience to users around the globe."

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.

Team Group unveiled its cost-effective L3 EVO line of SATA SSDs. Making use of TLC NAND flash chips, these drives come in capacities of 240 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB (pictured below). The 240 GB and 480 GB variants offer sequential speeds of up to 560 MB/s, with up to 540 MB/s writes; with up to 85,000 IOPS reads and up to 90,000 IOPS writes, in 4K random access performance. The company didn't put out performance figures of the 960 GB variant. The drives feature SATA 6 Gb/s interface, are 7 mm-thick, and support all modern SATA SSD features, including TRIM, NCQ, native AES acceleration, and SMART.

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, at Computex Taipei 2015 today announced its new CloudSpeed Eco Gen. II SATA SSD, a purpose-built storage device for cloud service providers with up to 2TB capacity. This new SSD is now sampling with select hyperscale customers. Based on 15 nm NAND flash, the new CloudSpeed Eco Gen. II SSD delivers greater storage density with 3x the streaming bandwidth vs. hard disk drives (HDDs). Designed as a drop-in replacement for HDDs, CloudSpeed Eco Gen. II provides datacenters with a lower cost-per-square-foot for hyperscale applications such as analytics, media streaming and content repositories.

Cloud Data Services, such as Big Data Analytics, SaaS, IaaS and PaaS environments, are driving radical data center transformation. The number of connected 'things' is set to explode, with Gartner forecasting this number will reach 25 billion by 2020, generating a deluge of data that will need to be analyzed in real-time. Micropayments, online commerce and similar applications are read-intensive and require high data throughput and scalable storage capacity.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, will unveil its extreme performance XPG line: new SSDs (Solid State Drives) and DDR4 memory module solutions, the new Apple series of products, Type-C mobile accessories and ruggedized products. Come witness history at ADATA's "Aspire, Empower, Transform" theme on show June 2-6 at COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2015, Taipei World Trade Center, in Nangang Exhibition Hall 1F Booth #J0806.

ADATA will flaunt its extreme performance XPG line of products, including the winner of the Taiwan Excellence Gold Award, the XPG Z1 DDR4 Gaming DRAM. Never satisfied with staying in one place, ADATA's newest XPG Z2 is now set to break another world record at 4034 MHz in the DDR4 gaming memory class. ADATA will also show the latest SX930 gaming SSDs featuring SLC cache technology and premier MLC flash that boost overall speed and stability. To give visitors an extremely fast and playful gaming experience, ADATA will hold a Special Force 2 Challenge game in its XPG display zone and will give away SSD and DRAM prizes every day.

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.

Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a leading manufacturer of industrial-grade products, is proud to announce the launch of the new EMC210 e.MMC (embedded Multi-Media Card) storage solution. The MLC-based EMC210 features simplified interface design, enhanced storage capacities, upgraded performance and a set of comprehensive functions. The small factor e.MMC is an embedded storage ideal for mobile devices, embedded devices and industrial applications, and is compliant with JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) version 4.51 standards.

The e.MMC is comprised of the NAND Flash and the Flash Memory Controller in a 153-ball BGA package. By integrating the controller into the flash memory package, the e.MMC supports the MMC interface and streamlines the development of new products that comply with a simpler set of industry-standard specifications for memory management. Transcend's e.MMC solution provides greater flexibility with interface voltage of either 1.65~1.95V or 2.7V~3.6V. Consequently, manufacturers can benefit from a more efficient design process, lower costs, and reduced time-to-market for end products.

Micron Technology, Inc., and Intel Corporation today revealed the availability of their 3D NAND technology, the world's highest-density flash memory. Flash is the storage technology used inside the lightest laptops, fastest data centers, and nearly every cellphone, tablet and mobile device.

This new 3D NAND technology, which was jointly developed by Intel and Micron, stacks layers of data storage cells vertically with extraordinary precision to create storage devices with three times higher capacity than competing NAND technologies. This enables more storage in a smaller space, bringing significant cost savings, low power usage and high performance to a range of mobile consumer devices as well as the most demanding enterprise deployments.

Toshiba Corporation today announced development of the world's first 48-layer three dimensional stacked cell structure flash memory called BiCS, a 2-bit-per-cell 128-gigabit (16 gigabytes) device. Sample shipments of products using the new process technology start today. The BiCS is based on a leading-edge 48-layer stacking process, which enhances the reliability of write/erase endurance and boosts write speed, and is suited for use in diverse applications, primarily solid state drives (SSD).

Since making the world's first announcement of technology for 3D Flash memory, Toshiba has continued development towards optimizing mass production. To meet further market growth in 2016 and beyond, Toshiba is proactively promoting the migration to 3D Flash memory by rolling out a product portfolio that emphasizes large capacity applications, such as SSD.

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."

Toshiba Corporation's Semiconductor & Storage Products Company today announced the launch of JEDEC e∙MMC Version 5.1 compliant embedded NAND flash memory products supporting "command queuing" and "secure write protection". The new products integrate NAND chips fabricated with 15nm process technology and are designed for application in a wide range of digital consumer products, including smartphones, tablets and wearable devices. Sample shipment of the 16GB and 64GB products start today, with 32GB and 128GB products to follow.

The new products integrate NAND chips fabricated with Toshiba's cutting-edge 15nm generation process technology with a controller to manage basic control functions for NAND applications in a single package. In October 2014, Toshiba launched the industry's first e∙MMC products supporting all mandatory features of JEDEC e∙MMC Version 5.1, which was officially issued by JEDEC on February 24, 2015. The new additions to the line-up support two optional features of e∙MMC Version 5.1, "command queuing" and "secure write protection."

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today introduced a high-performance mobile memory storage based on Embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC) 5.0 technology. The new 128-gigabyte (GB), 3-bit NAND-based eMMC 5.0 storage is targeted at the smartphone and tablet mass markets.

"With the introduction of our value-focused, 3-bit NAND-based eMMC 5.0 line-up, we expect to take the lead in the expansion of high-density mobile storage," said Dr. Jung-Bae Lee, Senior Vice President of Memory Product Planning and Application Engineering Team, Samsung Electronics. "We are continuing to enhance our next-generation embedded mobile memory offerings with improved performance and higher densities to meet increasing customer demand across the mobile industry."

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today introduced the iNAND 7132 storage solution, the most advanced embedded storage solution from SanDisk to date. Designed for use in flagship mobile devices, the iNAND 7132 storage solution features SanDisk's new iNAND Accelerator Architecture with SmartSLC technology, an innovative new storage architecture that quickly and intelligently responds on-demand to mobile users' needs and gives superior experiences to the most data-intensive applications. Available in capacities up to 64GB, iNAND 7132 storage solution enables original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to introduce a new generation of high-capacity smartphones, tablets and connected devices that offer exceptional user experiences.

"iNAND 7132 is the perfect high capacity storage solution for the next generation of smartphones, tablets and smart devices," said Drew Henry, senior vice president and general manager for Mobile and Connected Solutions at SanDisk. "Featuring our new iNAND Accelerator Architecture with SmartSLC, our best-in-class iNAND 7132 storage solution delivers amazing performance for faster burst photography and 4K Ultra HD video capture, supports the newest 802.11 standards with ease, and enables blazingly fast data side-loading."

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today introduced the company's first high endurance microSDXC memory card built to withstand up to 10,000 hours of Full HD Video recording.

Leveraging its deep expertise in NAND flash and systems technology capabilities, SanDisk developed a proprietary technology and process to enable high-intensity recording. Through rigorous testing, the new technology has proven itself to enable the company to reach a new milestone -- a 64GB microSDXC card that allows consumers to write and rewrite up to 10,000 hours of Full HD video recording.

Micron Technology, Inc., and Seagate Technology plc today announced a strategic agreement that establishes a framework for combining the innovation and expertise of both companies. The framework of the agreement will enable customers of the two companies to benefit from a focused approach to deliver industry-leading storage solutions, helping them innovate faster and more effectively

While initially focusing on next-generation SAS SSDs and strategic NAND supply, Micron and Seagate anticipate that this multi-year agreement will extend into future collaboration on enterprise storage solutions featuring Micron NAND flash memory. "As two of our key partners, we look forward to the benefits of this Micron and Seagate collaboration in future NAND flash-based storage technologies," said Mike Kerouac, President of Global Product Operations for EMC Corporation.

"The strategic agreement between Micron and Seagate promises to deliver new and innovative flash-based storage solutions," said Trevor Schick, Senior Vice President, EG Global Supply Chain, HP.

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.

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today introduced a new suite of robust, automotive grade NAND flash solutions designed for next-generation 'connected cars' and automotive infotainment systems. SanDisk Automotive storage solutions are optimized to bring reliable, high-performance storage to a wide range of in-vehicle applications, including 3D mapping and advanced augmented reality in navigation systems, entertainment systems, intuitive driver assist technology, data event recorders, and more. By providing the responsiveness and capacity of SanDisk flash storage technology, SanDisk Automotive solutions offer the potential for car manufacturers to continue to push the boundaries of connected car application experience.

Today's vehicles are rapidly becoming more technologically sophisticated, with many featuring advanced connected applications that were once only possible on a smartphone. A recent Gartner Research report forecasted that "about one in five vehicles on the road worldwide will have some form of wireless network connection by 2020, amounting to more than 250 million connected vehicles in service".

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, is honored to announce that its XPG Z1 DDR4 3333 Gold Edition computer memory is able to clock up to 4255MHz CL17 when used with an ASUS ROG Rampage V Extreme motherboard cooled with liquid nitrogen. This creates a new overclocking world record for production line DDR4 memory.

In cooperation with motherboard manufacturers, ADATA strives to achieve the best performance in DDR4 memory compliant with the Intel X99 architecture. The XPG Z1 DDR4 3333 Gold Edition breaks the record with extremely high clock frequency of 4255MHz CL17, impressing both gamers and standard CPU clock users alike with outstanding sustained performance, cooling and stability! XPG Z1 DDR4 3333 overclocking memory keeps stable supply to fulfill the market demand, enabling every overclocker, gamer or enthusiast to pursue the ultimate in performance.

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.

Patriot, a leading manufacturer of computer memory, USB/flash, SSDs and mobile accessories, today launched its latest addition to the solid-state drive (SSD) market, the Patriot Ignite SATA III SSD. One of the fastest drives available, the Ignite has record shattering speeds and impressive capacities to boost PC performance at a cost efficient value.

Boasting Patriot's largest capacity SSD yet, the Ignite will be available to consumers in capacities of 480GB and 960GB meeting an ever-growing demand for larger and faster storage solutions. The Patriot Ignite is a first-rate option for content creators, gamers and performance enthusiasts looking to upgrade their system response time without spending thousands of dollars on a new computer.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards is hosting a press conference today to launch two new products, the GIGABYTE X99-SOC Champion motherboard as well as a new GIGABYTE BRIX compact PC built around the new 5th Gen Intel Core processors. Held at the Neopolitan Ballroom of the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, USA, the press event also includes a live overclocking demonstration where the new motherboard will be put to the test by GIGABYTE's evangelist overclockers HiCookie, Sofos1990 and Dinos22. Currently holding the highest DDR4 memory frequency World Record, the GIGABYTE X99-SOC Champion will be overclocked on Liquid Nitrogen to see if a new world record can be achieved live at the event.

From January 6th until the 8th, GIGABYTE will be showcasing their latest hardware solutions at the Neopolitan Ballroom of the Caesars Palace including 10 custom made demo systems especially for CES by system builders such as Cyberpower, iBuypower, Origin PC, Maingear, XOTIC PC, Falcon NW and Digital Storm. A few case mods will also be on display from renowned case modders Richard Surroz, Bob Stewart and Larry Andersen.