As we await the launch of Intel's "Arrow Lake-S" Core Ultra 200S series of processors for desktops, we are getting some new leaks about Intel's mainstream mobile "Arrow Lake-H" update. A month ago, we got the specification table of the high-end mobile "Arrow Lake-HX," and now, thanks to Jaykihn X, we have the mainstream laptop chip specifications as well. The top-of-the-line includes Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, a 45 W TDP SKU with six P-cores, eight E-cores, and two LPE cores. The CPU packs integrated Xe2 graphics with eight cores and 24 MB of total L3 cache and has a maximum boost of 5.4 GHz for P-cores.

Moving down the stack, there are Core Ultra 7 265H and Core Ultra 5 255H SKUs, which feature the same P/E/LPE core configuration. However, these SKUs are rated for 28 W TDP, having lower maximum frequencies and the same iGPU configuration. This time, we also have two Core Ultra 3 SKUs, with Core Ultra 3 235H and 225H bringing four P-cores, eight E-cores, and two LPE-cores in the 28 W package. The Core Ultra 3 235H has eight Xe2 cores in its iGPU, while the lowest-end Core Ultra 3 225H has only seven Xe2 iGPU cores. For a complete set of specifications, including all clock speeds in base and boost, please check out the table below.

Enterprise storage/computing is becoming less centralized in datacenters and controlled environments and becoming more distributed. Data is being driven to the edge where operating conditions are more extreme, locations are not easy to reach, and often, on the constant move. A new breed of storage solutions is needed, which combines the benefits of industrial solid-state drives (SSDs) and enterprise solutions. ATP Electronics, the global leader in specialized storage and memory solutions, proudly unleashes a product class like no other, going beyond the limits of traditional storage solutions, and offering the best of both of industrial and enterprise worlds: the new Industrial Enterprise Series.

The Industrial Enterprise N651Sie Series SSDs leverage NVMe PCIe Gen 4 x4 and are available as M.2, U.2, and E1.S. They are built for the age of data deluge as centralized computing increasingly moves to the edge, and enterprise operations in uncontrolled environments become more prevalent. They combine the best of enterprise and industrial features, making them excellent as boot drives, data storage drives, or mixed-use drives.

Transcend Information (Transcend), a leading manufacturer of embedded memory products, is proud to release the latest U.2 NVMe SSD, the UTE210T. Designed for generative AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and big data analytics, this powerful SSD is built with the 112-layer 3D NAND flash, an 8-channel controller, and a PCIe Gen 4x4 interface. Experience high speeds, low latency, and minimal power consumption with your systems, but most of all, enjoy sequential R/W speeds of up to 7,200/6,500 MB/s and stable and reliable system performance that supports various applications of use.

Compliant with the NVMe 1.4 specification, Transcend's UTE210T comes bundled with a U.2 connector, enabling the drive to configure the PCIe interface with the U.2 backplane, ultimately enhancing transfer stability without compromising your servers. To address the demanding workloads associated with AI, its built-in DRAM provides exceptional random read speeds, which not only reduces NAND flash Program/Erase cycles (P/E cycles), but effectively extends drive lifespan to help manage a wide range of workloads. The UTE210T comes with up to 8 TB of storage capacity, ensuring servers and data centers are able to process vast amounts of data without compromising system performance.

Apacer has taken 3D NAND Flash optimization to new heights. Today, it announces the release of SLC-liteX industrial SSDs that can provide an incredible 100,000 P/E cycles. That's 3 to 33 times higher than competing 2D MLC or 3D TLC products can offer. 5G and AIoT manufacturers who are invested in large-scale data collection and analysis, including those demanding higher capacities, higher performance and higher endurance, will quickly see the advantages of this development. According to Allied Market Research, "the global 3D NAND flash memory market size was valued at $12.38 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $78.42 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 20.3% from 2021 to 2030."

The endurance of any NAND Flash product can be measured in P/E cycles. Every time a write or erase action is performed, the Flash cell will suffer irreparable damage. In the industrial world, 3,000 P/E cycles was considered quite a competitive number. But with increasing demands for greater endurance thresholds in applications such as 5G O-RAN and edge computing switches, the market was hungry for more - while still recognizing the paramount importance of cost-effectiveness. Apacer's crack team of firmware experts tackled the problem and were able to tweak the technology to deliver 100,000 P/E cycles. Careful cell distribution management of the 3D TLC structure was necessary in order to correctly adjust the voltage delta and charge sensing. Furthermore, powered by carefully selected industrial grade NAND components, the firmware structure is specifically optimized to enhance NAND flash stability during daily operations, and the error handling algorithm is significantly improved to avoid any unexpected ECC errors.

According to research from Mordor Intelligence, the facial recognition market was valued at USD 3.72 billion in 2020, and is projected to be valued at USD 11.62 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of approximately 21.71% over the forecast period. Facial recognition technology is finally coming into its own. It has gone beyond police officers looking for a suspect on a surveillance camera. Now, smart AI-driven facial recognition technology is common in smart retail, finance, transportation and even healthcare applications. But as adoption spreads, facial recognition devices are being required to operate in ever-more-challenging locations and environments. Keeping all these developments in mind, Apacer developed and has now released the CH120 series of industrial cards powered by the latest 112-layer BiCS5 3D TLC NAND technology, optimized for both AI facial recognition and smart IoT applications.

BiCS5 promises concrete, measurable advantages for SSDs, as it greatly improves capacity while keeping transmission latency ultra-low. In fact, Apacer's A2-grade CH120 series offers 4,000/2,000 IOPS for 4K image read/write performance. And compromised environments won't slow these cards down either - their wide temperature range means they operate smoothly in temperatures as low as -40 and as high as 85 degrees Celsius. The CH120 series of industrial cards are also equipped with value-adding over-provisioning and SLC-liteX technology. The former drastically reduces write amplification, extending an SSD's operational lifespan, while the latter allows an SSD to increase its endurance to up to 30,000 P/E cycles. That's 10 times higher than standard 3D TLC SSDs.

Greenliant is now shipping its wide temperature (W-temp) microSD ArmourDrive PX Series, built with advanced 3-bit-per-cell (TLC) 3D NAND flash memory. Available from 32 GB to 256 GB, W-temp (-25 to +85 degrees Celsius) microSD ArmourDrive PX Series industrial memory cards support 3,000 program-erase (P/E) cycles, and are tested to withstand shock, vibration and water. See microSD ArmourDrive product information at http://bit.ly/SD-microSD.

"With the addition of the W-temp 93 PX Series, Greenliant now offers one of the broadest microSD industrial memory card portfolios," said Arthur Kroyan, vice president of business development and marketing, Greenliant. "The 93 PX Series has been designed to meet performance, reliability and long-term support requirements from demanding video, security, networking and industrial applications."

Kingston today made available its new Industrial microSD card lineup with a rated operating temperature of -40 °C to 85 °C, allowing normal operation even in "extreme desert heat and subzero conditions" based on the information provided by the company. The cards use TLC NAND in pSLC mode to provide transfer speeds of up to 100 MB/s, and are rated for endurance of up to 1920 TBW with 30K P/E cycles. There is a built-in feature set specific to endurance, performance and industrial needs. Kingston's Industrial microSD ships with a UHS-I SD adapter and is available in capacities from 8 GB-64 GB. Industrial features include bad block management, ECC engine, power failure protection, wear levelling, auto-refresh read distribution protection, dynamic data refresh, SiP - System in Package, garbage collection, and health monitoring.

Western Digital on Tuesday (27/04) announced availability of its WD Purple QD101 line of ultra-endurance microSDXC cards for use as internal storage in surveillance devices, such as smart security cameras. The card implements 96-layer 3D TLC NAND flash memory, is capable of 500 P/E cycles, and 256 TBW for its top of the line 512 GB variant. The card is particularly useful as a failsafe storage device for cameras in case their link to the NVR server is severed, and is rated for 24x7 operation. The card comes in capacities of 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB. The card is now shipping to NVR and smart camera manufacturers.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories today announces the launch of three industrial-grade microSD cards, the ADATA ISDD33K and IUDD33K, that offer the reliability, durability, and performance required for industrial applications.

The ADATA ISDD33K industrial-grade SD card implements 3D TLC Flash, sports a 3K P/E cycle rating, and read and write speeds of up to 95/70 MB per second. The ISDD33K is highly reliable and compatible as well as power efficient, and is ideally suited for applications such as medical devices, surveillance systems, point of sale systems. The ADATA IUDD33K industrial-grade A1 (Application Performance Class 1) microSD card implements 3D TLC Flash, sports a 3K P/E cycle rating, and read and write speeds of up to 95/70 MB per second. The IUDD33K is ideally suited for applications such as industrial automation, surveillance systems, and point of sale systems. Both the IUDD33K and ISDD33K support S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology), which can indicate imminent failures, and E2E (End-to-End) Data Protection.

Transcend Information Inc. (Transcend ), a leading manufacturer of storage and multimedia products, is proud to present the market-redefining JetFlash 910, a USB flash drive that packs incredible performance and endurance into a compact USB form factor. The flash drive utilizes the latest 3D NAND technology for up to 420 MB/s and 400 MB/s read and write speeds and an excellent endurance level of 3,000 P/E cycles - the equivalent of MLC NAND flash. With capacities up to 256 GB, the JetFlash 910 is ideal for storing a trove of 4K videos and high-resolution images, transferring them in a flash. Housed in lightweight aluminium with a sandblasted finish for extra durability and a sleek look, the JetFlash 910 takes the USB storage experience to a brand new level.

At 10 times the lifespan of a regular TLC flash drive, the JetFlash 910 offers superior and persistent protection of key data, making it great everyday carry for work and life. Having a high endurance rating also makes the JetFlash 910 well-suited for write-intensive applications, such as dashcams or surveillance systems. The aluminium metallic housing makes the USB flash drive less prone to wear, while gracing it with an extra touch of sleekness.

Greenliant is now sampling its new high-reliability SATA 6 Gb/s ArmourDrive EX Series products to customers that need ultra robust data retention, ultra high endurance data storage capable of operating under heavy workloads in extreme environments. Designed with Greenliant's EnduroSLC Technology, SATA ArmourDrive EX Series solid state storage modules achieve 50K, 100K and industry-leading 250K+ program-erase (P/E) cycles and provide enhanced data retention. EnduroSLC-enabled SSDs offer high data storage integrity and can withstand wide temperature operations without losing data.

The SATA ArmourDrive EX Series expands the EnduroSLC product family, which also includes SATA 6Gb/s NANDrive and 100-ball/153-ball eMMC NANDrive ball grid array (BGA) solid state drives (SSDs). "SSD and memory card users that need super-high endurance and long-term data retention over a broad temperature range have limited options, since today's NAND flash marketplace is highly focused on consumer applications," said Jim Handy, principal analyst, Objective Analysis. "Greenliant's EnduroSLC products should find a warm reception among these elite users."

ADATA Technology (Taiwan Stock Exchange: 3260.TWO), a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories announces that it has upgraded the endurance rating of its industrial-grade 3D TLC solid state drives (SSD) to 3K P/E cycles, bringing their endurance, reliability, and stability up to par with 2D MLC SSDs. Combined with their ability to operate in a wide range of temperatures (-40° C to 85° C), they are excellent solutions that provide the durability and consistency required by applications such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Intelligent Transportation Systems, surveillance systems, data centers, network operations, defense systems, and energy exploration.

The continual improvements in NAND Flash design and manufacturing, as well as the ever-changing demands of the market, have driven 3D NAND to become a popular memory solution across many industries. Despite its growing prominence, 3D NAND has had two major deficiencies, namely the ability to operate in extreme temperatures and achieve higher endurance ratings. To fill this gap, ADATA has upgraded its industrial-grade 3D TLC SSDs to an endurance rating of 3K P/E cycles, which makes them comparable to 2D MLC SSDs. At the same, ADATA 3D TLC SSDs are also designed to operate in a wide temperature range (-40° C to 85° C), delivering a memory solution that is long-lasting, robust, and reliable.

Greenliant has introduced a new class of ultra-high endurance solid state drives (SSDs) that can reach up to 250,000 program/erase (P/E) cycles. These 1-bit-per-cell (SLC) SSDs are part of Greenliant's new EnduroSLC product line, which offers various endurance specifications-50K, 100K and 250K P/E cycles-for demanding industrial applications.

NANDrive SSDs, enabled by Greenliant's EnduroSLC Technology, now provide embedded systems designers with more options when choosing data storage products for long life applications. Using advanced NAND flash management algorithms and hardware error correction code (ECC) capabilities, Greenliant can significantly increase the life of its high reliability NANDrive SSDs for customers requiring superior endurance and data retention for extended periods of time.

Not all news coming out of Toshiba is bad or somewhat bad. The Japanese giant still is one of the biggest players in the NAND semiconductor business, no matter the recent woes. Even more recently, though, Toshiba announced they had developed quadruple level cell NAND memory, which should improve density and, therefore, reduce the price/GB ratio on future consumer products, such as SSDs. However, each increase in the number of cell levels bring concerns regarding not only performance, but especially durability, since a higher number of states per cell increases the voltage steps that are applied to it (SLC NAND dealt with two voltage states, MLC with four, TLC with eight voltage states, and QLC will handle 16 of these.) This tends to make errors more common, and the cell's longevity to be compromised due to the amount of variation in its states, which means more powerful error correction techniques must be employed.According to Toshiba, its 3D QLC NAND targets around ~1000 program/erase cycles, which is close to TLC NAND flash. This is considerably higher than the amount of P/E cycles (100 - 150) expected for QLC by the industry, which means the company has achieved what many thought difficult. Toshiba has begun sampling of its 3D QLC NAND memory devices earlier this month. everything points to mass production on late 2018, early 2019, though, which means we still have a long way to go until we see this technology implemented. This won't be the one to save us from escalating NAND prices; we'll have to look to other, more market and supply-and-demand based factors instead.