Silicon Power (SP) is excited to announce the launch of its first M.2 PCIe 2230 E-Key SSD, the MEM3K0E, further solidifying its commitment to delivering innovative and versatile solutions for the growing demands of artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing applications. With the introduction of this compact form factor, the company provides developers with more options to optimize system configurations while empowering next-generation AI technologies.

An Optimized Cache and Buffer Solution
Compliant to the PCIe 3.1 standard and NVMe 1.4 protocol, the MEM3K0E is specifically designed for devices equipped with E-Key slots, making it an ideal cache and buffer storage solution to complement M-Key slot primary drives. Its chief role is to maintain stable system performance by balancing the workload during resource-intensive tasks, which it achieves with features such as a thermal throttling function and built-in voltage detector. With storage capacity options of 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB, the MEM3K0E offers scalability for various applications, ranging from compact embedded systems to high-performance computing environments.

ADATA has launched the Legend 860 M.2 NVMe Gen 4 SSD series, aimed at mid-range users seeking a fast and reliable storage solution for PCs, laptops, or PS5 devices. Utilizing the PCIe Gen 4 x4 interface, the Legend 860 delivers sequential read and write speeds of up to 6,000 MB/s and 5,000 MB/s, respectively—three times faster than standard PCIe Gen 3 SSDs and ten times faster than SATA SSDs.

The lineup consists of three models with capacities of 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB, each equipped with a slim aluminium heatsink. The ADATA Legend 860 utilizes 3D NAND flash chips and incorporates an SLC cache algorithm, HMB (Host Memory Buffer) technology, and an LDPC (Low-Density Parity Check) error correction mechanism, providing up to 640 TB TBW (Terabytes Written). ADATA offers a 5-year limited warranty, though pricing has not yet been disclosed.

Apacer is thrilled to unveil its latest advancements in data security, reliability, and integrity for casino gaming systems in the Global Gaming Expo at the Expo Hall, taking place from October 8th to 10th, 2024. We invite you to visit us at booth 5221 to explore our state-of-the-art SSD and DRAM solutions, meticulously designed to address the demanding needs of the gaming industry.

At G2E 2024, Apacer will highlight a range of innovative products tailored to the unique requirements of gaming applications:

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced it has successfully developed the industry's first PCIe 4.0 automotive SSD based on eighth-generation vertical NAND (V-NAND). With industry-leading speeds and enhanced reliability, the new auto SSD, AM9C1 is an optimal solution for on-device AI capabilities in automotive applications. With about 50% improved power efficiency compared to its predecessor, the AM991, the new 256 GB auto SSD will deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 4400 MB/s and 400 MB/s, respectively.

"We are collaborating with global autonomous vehicle makers and providing high-performance, high-capacity automotive products," said Hyunduk Cho, Vice President and Head of Automotive Group at Samsung Electronics' Memory Business. "Samsung will continue to lead the Physical AI1 memory market that encompasses applications from autonomous driving to robotics technologies."

Gabriel Ferraz, maintainer of the TechPowerUp SSD database and content creator, recently published an article that shows the relationship between SLC (Single-Level Cell) cache technology and its performance impact on SSDs. Using a Pichau Aldrin Pro 2 TB SSD featuring an Innogrit IG5236 controller and YMTC 128-layer TLC NAND, Gabriel has uncovered both the advantages and potential drawbacks of this feature. The article reveals that with SLC cache enabled, which acts as a high-speed buffer, the SSD achieved remarkable write speeds of up to 6.5 GB/s, but only until 691 GB had been written. Beyond that, speeds dropped to 2.2 GB/s and then to 860 MB/s as the drive filled up.

Disabling the SLC cache delivers more consistent performance results that are 2.1 GB/s across the whole capacity of the SSD, but with lower peak performance. Testing also examined the impact on power consumption and efficiency. With the SLC cache active, the SSD consumed approximately 5 W of power while achieving over 3000 MB/s bandwidth. Disabling the cache reduced power consumption but at the cost of halving the bandwidth to around 1900 MB/s, resulting in lower overall efficiency. Maximum power consumption with cache enabled peaked at 7.3 W, compared to a lower figure when operating in constant TLC mode. Below, you can see some performance benchmarks published on The Overclock Page.

SK hynix announced today that it developed PCB01, an SSD product with the industry's best specifications, for on-device AI PCs. The product marks the first case where the industry adopts the fifth generation of the 8-channel PCIe technology and brings innovation to performance including the data processing speed. The company expects the latest advancement in the NAND solution space to add to its success stories in the high-performance DRAM area led by HBM, enhancing its leadership in the overall AI memory space.

With a validation process with a global PC customer underway, SK hynix plans to mass produce and start shipping the products to both corporate customers and general consumers within this year. PCB01 comes with the capabilities of sequential read and write speeds of 14 GB and 12 GB per second, respectively, bringing the performance of an SSD to the level unseen before. The speeds allow the operation of a large language model or LLM, for AI training and inference, in a second.

Thanks to recent developments in the AI field, and following in the wake of the world's recovery from COVID-19, the transition of factories to partial or full automation proceeds with unstoppable momentum. And the best place to learn about the latest technologies that aim to make this transition as painless as possible is at Automate 2024. This is North America's largest robotics and automation event, and it will be held in Chicago, Illinois from May 6 to 9.

Automate attracts professionals from around the world, and Apacer is no exception. Apacer team will be on hand to discuss the latest technological developments created by our experienced R&D team. Many of these developments were specifically created to reduce the pain points commonly experienced by fully automated facilities. Take CoreSnapshot, for example. This backup and recovery technology can restore a crashed system to full operation in just a few seconds, reducing downtime and associated maintenance costs. Apacer recently updated CoreSnapshot, creating CoreRescue ASR and CoreRescue USR. The name of CoreRescue ASR refers to Auto Self Recovery. This technology will harness AI to learn the system booting process and analyze how long a boot should take. If this average boot time is significantly longer than usual, the system will trigger the self-recovery process and revert to an earlier, uncorrupted version of the drive's content. CoreRescue USR offers similar functionality, except the self-recovery process is triggered by connecting a small USB stick drive.

A few months ago, we covered proof of overclocking an off-the-shelf 2.5-inch SATA III NAND Flash SSD thanks to Gabriel Ferraz, Computer Engineer and TechPowerUp's SSD database maintainer. Now, he is back with another equally interesting project of modifying a Quad-Level Cell (QLC) SATA III SSD into a Single-Level Cell (SLC) SATA III SSD. Using the Crucial BX500 512 GB SSD, he aimed at transforming the QLC drive into a more endurant and higher-performance SLC. Silicon Motion SM2259XT2 powers the drive of choice with a single-core ARC 32-bit CPU clocked at 550 MHz and two channels running at 800 MT/s (400 MHz) without a DRAM cache. This particular SSD uses four NAND Flash dies from Micron with NY240 part numbers. Two dies are controlled per channel. These NAND Flash dies were designed to operate at 1,600 MT/s (800 MHz) but are limited to only 525 MT/s in this drive in the real world.

The average endurance of these dies is 1,500 P/E cycles in NANDs FortisFlash and about 900 P/E cycles in Mediagrade. Transforming the same drive in the pSLC is bumping those numbers to 100,000 and 60,000, respectively. However, getting that to work is the tricky part. To achieve this, you have to download MPtools for the Silicon Motion SM2259XT2 controller from the USBdev.ru website and find the correct die used in the SSD. Then, the software is modified carefully, and a case-sensitive configuration file is modified to allow for SLC mode, which forces the die to run as a SLC NAND Flash die. Finally, firmware folder must be reached and files need to be moved arround in a way seen in the video.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced it is sampling the automotive-grade Micron 4150AT SSD, the world's first quad-port SSD, capable of interfacing with up to four systems on chips (SoCs) to centralize storage for software-defined intelligent vehicles. The Micron 4150AT SSD combines market-leading features such as single-root input/output virtualization (SR-IOV), a PCIe Generation 4 interface and ruggedized automotive design. With these features, the automotive-grade SSD provides the ecosystem with data center-level flexibility and power.

"As storage requirements race to keep up with rich in-vehicle experiences featuring AI and advanced algorithms for higher levels of autonomous safety, this era demands a new paradigm for automotive storage to match," said Michael Basca, Micron vice president of embedded products and systems. "Building on our collaboration with the innovators redefining next-generation automotive architectures, Micron has reimagined storage from the ground up to deliver the world's first quad-port SSD - the Micron 4150AT - which provides the industry flexibility and horsepower to roll out the transformative technologies on the horizon."

MSI, a global leader in gaming PC hardware, is thrilled to announce the release of its highly anticipated SSD powerhouse, the SPATIUM M580 FROZR, ushering in a new era of storage performance. With cutting-edge technology and innovative thermal solutions, this SSD is set to redefine the standards of speed and reliability in storage solutions.

SPATIUM M580 FROZR, Reaching New Heights with Crowned Speeds
The SPATIUM M580 FROZR sets a new benchmark in storage performance with its revolutionary features. Powered by the state-of-the-art PHISON E26 PCIe Gen 5 controller and equipped with advanced 3D NAND flash modules boasting 232 layers, this SSD achieves mind-blowing read speeds of up to 14.6 GB/s and write speeds of up to 12.7 GB/s, up to 2 times faster transfer rates compared to current PCIe 4.0 SSDs. This represents a significant leap in speeds, boosted by a DRAM cache buffer and a SLC Cache, providing users with lightning-fast data access and gaining valuable milliseconds in latency for gaming, content creation, and professional applications. Additionally, the M580 FROZR is fortified with LPDC ECC and E2E Data Protection, ensuring data integrity and reliability. With a high TBW (Terabytes Written) value and backed by a comprehensive 5-year warranty, users can trust in the durability and longevity of the SPATIUM M580 FROZR in 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB variants after an easy installation.

ADATA Industrial, the world's leading brand for industrial-grade embedded storage, officially released today its SATA 31D series of industrial-grade solid-state drives including 2.5-inch ISSS31D, M.2 2280 IM2S31D8, and M.2 2242 IM2S31D4, designed for retail terminals and embedded systems.

The SATA 31D series of industrial-grade SSDs utilize 112-layer 3D TLC flash memory developed by WDC, boasting a P/E Cycle of 3,000 which is comparable to MLC. The 31D series also offers a variety of ultra-thin and compact mainstream specifications such as SATA 2.5-inch, M.2 2280, M.2 2242, and various capacity options from 128 GB to 2 TB. 112-layer 3D NAND (BiCS5) 31D series SSDs all support thermal throttling technology, which reduces SSD transmission performance in stages to effectively mitigate the risk of data damage due to overheating. Furthermore, a LDPC ECC error correction mechanism and End-to-End Data Protection technology ensure reliable data transfer and improve data integrity. The 31D series is eminently suitable for POS systems, information kiosks, digital signage, and embedded equipment.

T-FORCE, the gaming brand of the leading memory and storage provider Team Group Inc., continues to push the boundaries of product development. Today, T-FORCE is launching four new gaming SSDs, the T-FORCE G70, G70 PRO, G50, and G50 PRO, which all use the PCIe Gen 4x4 interface. The SSDs feature international manufacturer InnoGrit's controller, which provides outstanding stability.

The G70, G50, and their PRO variants are available in the M.2-2280 form factor and come with patented ultra-thin graphene heat sinks. The G70 PRO also comes with an aluminium alloy heatsink, giving users an additional cooling option. Since every SSD cooling module in this series is compatible with the PS5 SSD expansion slot, both PC and console gamers alike can enjoy the high performance of these brand-new PCIe 4.0 SSDs. The T-FORCE G70 and G70 PRO SSDs have read speeds of up to 7000 MB/s, while the G50 and G50 PRO SSDs can clock up to 5000 MB/s. The T-FORCE G70 and G50 SSDs support SLC cache technology, and their PRO variants support both DRAM and SLC caching, giving players options to fit their needs. All four M.2 2280 SSDs use controllers produced by international manufacturer InnoGrit, which provide excellent stability and peace of mind for gamers.

Solidigm today announced the D7-5810, an enterprise SSD for extremely intensity write workloads. Such a drive would be capable of write endurance in the neighborhood of 50 DWPD. For reference, the company's D7-P5620, a write-centric/mixed workload drive for data-logging, and AI ingest/preparation, offers around 3 DWPD of endurance, depending on the variant; and the read-intensive drive meant for CDNs, the D5-P5336, offers around 0.5 DWPD. Use cases for the new D7-P5810 include high performance caching for flash arrays dealing with "cooler" data; high-frequency trading, and HPC.

Solidigm D7-P5810 uses SK hynix 144-layer 3D NAND flash that's made to operate in a pure SLC configuration. The drive comes in 800 GB and 1.6 TB capacities, and offers 50 DWPD over an endurance period of 5 years (4K random writes). More specifically, both models offer 73 PBW (petabytes written) of endurance. The drive comes in enterprise-relevant 15 mm-thick U.2 form-factor, with PCIe Gen 4 x4 interface, with NVMe 1.3c and NVMe MI 1.1 protocols.

ProGrade Digital, Inc., founded with a mission to provide the highest quality professional grade digital memory cards and workflow solutions, announces the 3rd generation of its CFexpress Type B Cobalt-class memory card in a new 1.3 TB capacity. This new generation features the same industry-leading quality of ProGrade current 2nd generation 325 GB and 650 GB capacity cards, but now leverages PCIe Gen 4 interconnect with NVMe 1.4c host controller interface. ProGrade Digital's 3rd generation CFexpress Cobalt cards are fully compliant with the just released CFexpress 4.0 specification, and provide read speeds of up to 3,400 MB/s, burst write speeds of up to 3,000 MB/s, and sustained write speeds of up to 2,800 MB/s - ideally suited for the highest-resolution cinema-grade video capture applications. As in past Cobalt-class memory card generations, the highest endurance and reliability memory technology is utilized - ensuring years of trouble-free, high-performance capture.

"The introduction of our 3rd generation CFexpress Cobalt card at the 1.3 TB capacity point provides the extra space and unparalleled performance needed for the very highest resolution video capture needs," said Wes Brewer, Founder and CEO of ProGrade Digital. "Our inclusion of PCIe Gen 4 controller technology, coupled with upcoming USB4 high-speed readers will allow offloading speeds 3x greater than previously possible, providing a dramatic reduction in workflow processing time."

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, is unveiling a variety of new products that are estimated to be launched in Q4 2023. Designed for photography professionals and PC enthusiasts to accelerate their workflow, the expanded portfolio includes a new microSD card, internal SSDs, DRAM, and portable SSDs.

The new Professional GOLD micro SDXC UHS-II card, available in 128 GB and 256 GB, leverages the high-speed performance and a Video Speed Class 60 (V60) rating, allowing users to quickly capture, play back, and transfer high-definition multimedia files, including 4K video, with a read transfer speed up to 280 MB/s. This card is also great for use with gaming devices, sports camcorders, tablets, or smartphones, and drones.

In the world of modern embedded computing, motherboards and systems are equipped with numerous M.2 and Mini-PCI Express sockets. These sockets provide ideal homes for networking communication adapters and solid-state drives (SSDs), including NVMe-compatible SSDs. With an abundance of sockets, embedded systems now have unparalleled connectivity and storage options.

Cervoz recognizes this need and introduces a new industrial SSD perfectly suited for these boards and systems: the M.2 2242 PCIe Gen 3 x 2 (B+M Key) SSD, T421. This SSD is designed specifically for embedded motherboards and systems, making it a perfect fit for industrial applications ranging from retail and gaming solutions to embedded computing devices.

Greenliant will highlight its portfolio of solid state storage products for automotive and transportation applications at the ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle Technology Expo in Stuttgart, Germany, June 13-15, at booth 6024. Greenliant's portfolio of high reliability data storage products includes high capacity industrial SSDs (SATA 2.5", NVMe U.2), NANDrive ball grid array SSDs (eMMC, PATA, SATA), and ArmourDrive SSDs (SATA M.2, mSATA, SATA 2.5", NVMe M.2) and memory cards (SD / microSD). Meet with technical experts at booth 6024 to learn how Greenliant SSDs and memory cards can address the requirements of best-in-class ADAS and autonomous driving applications.

Greenliant is now shipping mSATA and SATA M.2 2242 ArmourDrive EX Series solid state drives (SSDs) with EnduroSLC Technology for superior data retention and high endurance ranging from 60K and 120K to the industry-leading 300K program-erase (P/E) cycles. Built with Greenliant's advanced in-house controllers, these SSDs are available in 10 GB, 20 GB, 40 GB, 80 GB, 160 GB and 320 GB capacities.

mSATA and SATA M.2 2242 ArmourDrive EX Series SSDs are included in Greenliant's Long-Term Availability (LTA) program (http://bit.ly/SSD-LTA-program), providing customers with a stable portfolio of high-endurance data storage products for up to 10 years. Greenliant is also shipping mSATA and SATA M.2 2242 / 2280 ArmourDrive PX Series SSDs using cost-effective industrial 3-bit-per-cell (TLC) 3D NAND. These SSDs support 5K P/E cycles and are available in 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB capacities.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of next-generation Intel and AMD motherboards have incited a wave of consumer PC replacement as well as growing demand for high-efficiency PCIe 4.0 SSDs. With additional consideration towards the PS5's SSD heat dissipation requirements, ADATA Technology Co., Ltd., a leading global memory products brand, has launched the LEGEND 960 MAX as of today. The LEGEND 960 MAX SSD has won Japan's GOOD DESIGN Award and features continuous read/write speeds of up to 7,400/6,800 MB per second. Its unique 3D radiator fin design can reduce temperatures of SSDs mounted in PS5 consoles by as much as 40%. The LEGEND 960 MAX and LEGEND 960 are part of the same series of SSD products and the prior LEGEND 960 model can be installed in Intel Evo certified lightweight notebooks. In the face of Web 3.0's unlimited creative universe, this new product is expected to become the most ideal storage solution for consumers.

The LEGEND 960 MAX employs a PCIe 4.0 transmission interface conforming to NVMe 1.4 standards. The SSD features exceptional 7,400/6,800 MB per second read/write capabiliies that are 4 times that of standard PCIe 3.0 SSDs and is backward compatible with the PCIe 3.0 platform. When handling a multitude of intensive creations, the LEGEND 960 MAX delivers 750K/630K IOPS random Read/Write speeds, improving multitasking efficiency and is suitable for driving exceptional performance in the latest Intel or AMD platforms. The professionally designed thermal convection effect produced by a 3D radiator fin profile enables an additional 40% cooling on motherboard installed SSDs and is an optimal solution for highly complex design tasks such as 3D animation, game development, and visual virtualization.

Transcend rolled out the SSD225S, a 2.5-inch SATA client-SSD offering high endurance. The drive is available in 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB variants, with the highest capacity offering an endurance of 720 TBW. The 1 TB variant offers 360 TBW, the 500 GB variant offers 180 TBW, and the 250 GB variant 90 TBW. Taking advantage of the SATA 6 Gbps interface, the drive offers up to 560 MB/s of sequential reads, up to 500 MB/s of sequential writes, and up to 80,000 IOPS 4K random access. The company didn't mention the NAND flash type, or controller make, but that it is DRAMless, offers SLC caching, LDPC, wear-leveling, and DEVSleep. Transcend is backing these with 3-year warranties.

ATP Electronics, the global leader in specialized storage and memory solutions, introduces its latest 3D triple-level cell (TLC) flash storage solid state drives (SSDs): the N700 and N600 Series, which support the high-speed PCIe 3.0 interface x4 lanes and NVMe protocol. The new SSDs offer hardware-based security features, such as Write Protection and Quick Erase, by project and customer request. Enabled through the general input/output (GPIO) pins, HW Write Protect puts the SSD in "Read Only" mode, thus preventing the modification or tampering of stored data. HW Quick Erase, on the other hand, initiates a block-by-block data pattern write operation to systematically erase any trace of user data.

Available as M.2 2230 modules, they offer better power efficiency and are suitable for applications using small and light systems such as point-of-sale (POS) systems, mobile PCs, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and server boot applications. The N700 and N600 Series accommodate a heatsink ball-grid array (HSBGA) on the M.2 2230 form factor. For customers who prefer a soldered-down, vibration-proof solution, ATP also offers M.2 Type 1620 HSBGA SSDs with the same firmware and NAND configuration.

Kioxia Corporation, the world leader in memory solutions, today announced the launch of the second generation of XL-FLASH, a Storage Class Memory (SCM) solution based on its BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory technology, which significantly reduces bit cost while providing high performance and low latency. Product sample shipments are scheduled to start in November this year, with volume production expected to begin in 2023.

The second generation XL-FLASH achieves significant reduction in bit cost as a result of the addition of new multi-level cell (MLC) functionality with 2-bit per cell, in addition to the single-level cell (SLC) of the existing model. The maximum number of planes that can operate simultaneously has also increased from the current model, which will allow for improved throughput. The new XL-FLASH will have a memory capacity of 256 gigabits.

ADATA Technology (Taiwan Stock Exchange: 3260.TWO), a manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, mobile accessories, gaming products, electric power trains, and industrial solutions today announced the LEGEND 850 PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 2280 solid state drive (SSD). The new LEGEND 850 delivers a new level of performance for advanced design applications, such as 3D modelling and animation.

The ADATA LEGEND 850 gives users a major upgrade in performance with sequential read and write speeds of 5,000/4,500 MB per second. This makes it up to 3 times faster than a standard PCIe Gen3 SSD and 9 times faster than a SATA SSD. What's more, it supports the latest Intel and AMD platforms, desktop and notebook PCs, and is backward compatible with PCIe 3.0 for added convenience.

For many years, TEAMGROUP has been developing high-quality products for industrial use and automation applications. In response to the growing market for 5G applications, the company this year is focusing on the new market demands of 5G infrastructure, AloT edge computing, and autonomous driving, as well as in-vehicle computing and environmental safety control applications. Today, TEAMGROUP is announcing its 745 SSD Series, which features the 5th generation BiCS NAND flash memory. It's a comprehensive industrial solution that comes with high capacities, low latencies, and high durability for the various application of industrial market.

The TEAMGROUP 745 SSD Series uses the new 112-layer 3D TLC and the latest 5th generation BiCS NAND flash memory, giving it approximately 40% more capacity and 50% better I/O performance than BiCS4 SSDs. This makes it fully suitable for the high-capacity, low-latency transmission requirements of edge computing. To meet the needs of a wide range of industrial applications, the 745 SSD Series is available in a variety of form factors with mainstream specifications, including models with SATA and PCIe Gen3x4 interfaces and capacities from 128 GB to 2 TB, offering the industry a variety of professional options. The 745 SSD Series is also equipped with SLC cache technology, which improves SSD read and write efficiency and supports high AI load for smart manufacturing and autonomous driving, while the AES 256-bit encryption prevents data security concerns and ensures safety and stability of the SSD.

MSI is launching a new blazing fast model to its SSD product line - SPATIUM M480 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 PLAY, exceeding all performance requirements for PlayStation 5 use. MSI SSDs enhances our company's identity as a high-performance PC brand by expanding our ecosystem and covering the high-performance storage category. These SSDs are built with high-quality, high-density 3D NAND flash that delivers great performance with up to 7000 MB/sec read. On SPATIUM M480 PLAY, the sleek dual finish aluminium heatsink is designed to fit the PlayStation 5. This improves heat-dissipation to sustain transfer speeds across all platforms for professionals, content creators, and gamers. Other performance-improving technologies include DRAM cache buffer and an SLC cache.

SPATIUM M480 PLAY is the optimal product made for console gaming in the SPATIUM lineup with four storage capacities - 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, and 4 TB. This brings next-level storage performance to players for PlayStation 5, content creators, and PC gamers. Expanding the storage device on the PS5 is a simple upgrade that allows for lightning-fast save and load times for large game files.