Axiomtek - a world-renowned leader relentlessly devoted in the research, development, and manufacturing of innovative and reliable industrial computer products of high efficiency - is pleased to announce its partnership with leading AI chipmaker Hailo to launch the RSC100, a state-of-the-art ARM-based edge AI computer (also named Plato). The ARM-based RSC100 (Plato) supports the Hailo-8 edge AI processor, the latter of which features up to 26 TOPS for running deep learning applications at full scale efficiently, intelligently, and sustainably. The partnership with Hailo offers customers a new level of AI solutions across a wide range of market segments such as smart city, smart retail, industry 4.0, and smart transportation.

"Hailo has gained a lot of experience in developing high-performance AI processors suitable for edge devices. The powerful yet affordable RSC100 (Plato) is our first fanless edge AI computing system that adopts the Hailo-8. The RSC100 (Plato) provides system developers with highly efficient implementation of innovative AI solutions at reduced time-to-market and engineering costs. With the advanced AI performance, the RSC100 (Plato) is well suited for use in smart city applications, including smart surveillance, smart factory, smart agriculture, and smart transportation," said Ken Pan, the product manager at Axiomtek.

DigiTimes, citing sources within the industry, reports that Samsung is mulling a price raise for its own-brand SSDs. The report doesn't put a number or percentage to the prospective price increase, but it also states that Samsung is seemingly moving in the opposite direction of other SSD vendors. Samsung's competition is expected to lower overall pricing by up to 10% in an attempt to increase product attractiveness after facing lower than expected demand.

Samsung is one of the world's largest manufacturers of NAND chips, and enjoys a fully vertical SSD development capability: the company manufactures its own NAND and controller chips, which has led to a strong foothold in both the industry and in consumer's expectations for SSD speed and reliability. It thus seems strange that the company would move in the opposite direction of the remaining industry, especially considering how it benefits from economies of scale and (expectedly) higher product margins than companies that don't manufacture their own NAND. However, Samsung has recently cut its production guidance for both its Xi'an, China NAND factories after local COVID-19 surges forced partial lockdowns. These factories are responsible for around 40% of Samsung's global NAND output - and thus, they also account for around 7% of global NAND production.

TechPowerUp and KIOXIA come together to bring you a change to win one of three KIOXIA Exceria client SSDs. The Exceria range of SSDs span 2.5-inch SATA and M.2 NVMe form-factors, and combine KIOXIA's in-house BiCS flash memory, and the legacy of being the inventors of flash memory. Up for grabs are a KIOXIA Exceria Plus G2 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD, a KIOXIA Exceria 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD, and a KIOXIA Exceria SATA 960 GB SSD. The Giveaway is open worldwide (wherever legal), entries close on January 9, 2022. To participate, simply fill up a brief form to help us get back to you if you've won. All the best!

For more information and to participate, visit this page.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, a professional manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards, all-in-one gaming and multimedia solutions, and high-performance storage, proudly presents its first-ever PCIe 3.0 NVMe solid-state drive - the COLORFUL WarHalberd CN600. COLORFUL collaborated with Yangtze Memory (YMTC) and Maxio Technology for the CN600 SSD. The cooperation between the companies will ensure the quality and performance of the flash components and the NVMe controller.

The COLORFUL WarHalberd CN600 NVMe SSD is a low-profile NVMe SSD in a standard 2280 M.2 form factor, designed for desktop PCs, laptops, ultrabooks, and mini-PCs. Using PCIe 3.0 X4 interface, the WarHalberd CN600 delivers speeds of up to 3300 MB/s read and up to 2600 MB/s write. The SSD will be offered in 256 GB and 512 GB capacities.

XPG, a fast-growing provider of systems, components, and peripherals for Gamers, Esports Pros, and Tech Enthusiasts, today announces it will be on location in Las Vegas during the 2022 CES show (Jan. 5-8). Under the theme of 'Dawn of a New Xtreme,' it will be showing off the latest products from XPG and ADATA including gaming systems, peripherals, accessories, and components, such as the newest DDR5 memory, PCIe 5.0 solid state drives (SSD) and the latest state-of-the-art Platinum PSU.

XPG's and ADATA are gearing up to bring next-generation performance to gamers and other users with its latest PCIe Gen5x 4 SSDs and DDR5 DRAM. At the booth, visitors will get a first look at the XPG LANCER RGB DDR5 and CASTER RGB DDR5 that deliver next-level performance of up to 6000 MT/s and 7000 MT/s, respectively. ADATA's industrial-grade DDR5-4800 U/SO/R-DIMM memory with on-die ECC & PMIC will also be on display.

SK hynix Inc. today announced that it has received merger clearance from the Chinese antitrust authority, State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) for its acquisition of Intel NAND and SSD business. With SAMR's merger clearance SK hynix has received all required merger clearances in eight jurisdictions from the relevant competition authorities.

SK hynix will continue to prepare to close the transaction including achieving all of the closing conditions. The consideration for the 1st Closing is USD 7 billion. Upon the 1st Closing, SK hynix will acquire the Intel SSD business (including SSD-associated IP and employees) and Dalian facility. SK hynix sincerely welcomes and appreciates SAMR's merger clearance for the deal. SK hynix will enhance its competitiveness of NAND Flash and SSD business by continuing the remaining post-merger integration process.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has developed the PM1743 SSD for enterprise servers, integrating the PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) 5.0 interface with Samsung's advanced sixth-generation V-NAND.

"For over a decade, Samsung has been delivering SATA, SAS and PCIe-based SSDs that have been recognized for outstanding performance and reliability by leading enterprise server customers including corporations, governments and financial institutions," said Yong Ho Song, Executive Vice President and Head of the Memory Controller Development Team at Samsung Electronics. "The introduction of our PCIe 5.0 SSD, along with PCIe 6.0-based product developments that are underway, will further solidify our technological leadership in the enterprise server market."

Western Digital is preparing to update its client SSD lineup with a new flagship product, the WD Black SN850X. The drive was referenced in a December 10 certification filing with the PCI-SIG. The drive unsurprisingly features a PCI-Express 4.0 x4 interface. Nothing else is known about the drive, but the "X" in its name could signify a performance uplift over the current WD Black SN850 from an updated controller, a newer generation of NAND flash, or better stock cooling. Interestingly, the listing also references a drive called "SN820," which could be an "unbranded" successor to the PC SN810, a drive the company sells to system integrators and OEMs.

SMART Modular, a leading global professional memory and storage solutions brand (NASDAQ: SGH), announced the expansion of its DuraFlash ME2 SATA SSD product line, officially Launched three new products, M.2 2242 SATA, mSATA (MO-300A) and Slim SATA (MO-297A), to complement the specifications other than M.2 2280 and 2.5" SATA SSD, making the DuraFlash product line more complete.

The new ME2 SATA SSD series is designed for applications with small size or traditional SSD specifications, and can be the best choice for embedded computing, transportation, medical and industrial applications. ME2 series products use 3D TLC flash memory technology, which can operate normally under commercial temperature (0°C~70°C) or industrial wide temperature (-40°C ~85°C); in addition, ME2 series also support advanced The LDPC debugging and correction mechanism and the end-to-end data path protection function ensure a high degree of data integrity and reliability.

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.

A company dealing with niche audiophile-grade electronics on Audiophile Style, a popular site and marketplace for the community, conjured up an SSD that it feels offers the best possible audio. Put simply, this is an M.2-2280 NVMe SSD with a fully-independent power delivery mechanism (one that's isolated from the motherboard's power delivery), and an over-the-top discrete clock-source for its controller. The drive has its own 5 V 2-pin DC input and switching hardware onboard, including [get this] a pair of Audionote Kaisei audio-grade electrolytic capacitors in place of what should have been simple solid-state SMD capacitors that are hard to even notice on any other drive. It doesn't end there.

Most NVMe SSDs have a tiny 2 mm x 2 mm SMD oscillator that's used by the controller for clock-generation. This drive features a Crystek CCHD-957 high-grade Femto oscillator. These oscillators are found in some very high-grade production or scientific equipment, such as data-loggers. For the drive itself, you get a Realtek DRAM-less controller, and a single 1 TB TLC NAND flash chip that's forced to operate in SLC mode (333 GB). On a scale of absurdity, this drive is right up there with $10,000 HDMI cables. Digital audio is stored in ones and zeroes, and nothing is accomplished through an isolated power delivery or clock generation on the storage media. It's nice of the designers to include jumpers that let you switch between the discrete power source and motherboard power; so listeners can see the snake-oil for themselves.

Demand for NAND Flash products will undergo a noticeable and cyclical downward correction in 1Q22 as major smartphone brands wind down their procurement activities for the peak season and ODMs prepare for the New Year holidays, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. As such, the NAND Flash market will remain in an oversupply situation, with prices continuing to undergo downward corrections accordingly. However, PC OEMs have been reinstating certain orders for client SSDs since early November in response to improvements in the supply of upstream semiconductor materials. By fulfilling these orders, suppliers are able to keep their inventory level relatively low, meaning they are not under as much pressure as previously expected to reduce inventory by lowering prices. Taking these factors into account, TrendForce expects NAND Flash ASP to undergo a 10-15% QoQ decline in 1Q22, during which NAND Flash prices will experience the most noticeable declines compared to the other quarters in 2022.

Regarding the price trend of NAND Flash products across the whole 2021, TrendForce further indicates that suppliers have actively transitioned their output to higher-layer technologies, resulting in a bit supply growth that noticeably outpaces demand, though the tight supply of components such as controller ICs and PMICs has constrained the production of NAND Flash end-products. Hence, the decline in contract prices of NAND Flash products has not been as severe as previously expected. Moving ahead to 2022, however, the supply of relevant components is expected to gradually improve, so the market for various NAND Flash products will also likely shift towards a noticeable oversupply. As a result, prices of NAND Flash products will steadily decline before the arrival of the peak season in 3Q22.

KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced that its CM6 and CD6 Series of PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs have earned VMware vSAN 7.0 certification, enabling them to be shared across connected hosts in a VMware vSphere cluster. Users can pool KIOXIA SSDs together in a single, distributed, shared data-store and define the storage capabilities required (such as performance, capacity and availability) for each connected virtual machine within the VMware vSAN cluster. These capabilities not only further hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) options in virtual environments, but also ensure that storage policies are administered and maintained within the CM6 and CD6 Series with vSAN compatibility.

This certification allows VMware vSAN support for both hybrid and all-flash configurations using a two-tier storage architecture, capacity tier and cache. All write operations are sent to the cache tier and are subsequently de-staged to the capacity tier over time. When a CM6 or CD6 Series SSD is deployed within a hybrid configuration, its cache tier is used as both a read and write cache, staging hot data to improve system performance. In an all-flash configuration, 100 percent of the cache tier is used for the write buffer. Given the benefits of tiered storage, CM6 and CD6 SSDs are capable of meeting the demanding requirements of both enterprise and data center customers.

Synology announced today the launch of FlashStation FS2500, the newest addition to the company's lineup of all-flash servers, as well as an update to its portfolio of SATA SSDs with SAT5210 drives. The FS2500 is designed to tackle business IT applications requiring fast and low-latency storage, including virtual machines and post-production work. The compact, 1U chassis fits 12 2.5" SATA bays, providing ample capacity and simple installation. The unit delivers more than 170,000/82,000 4K random read/write performance,1 and features dual 10 GbE ports with room for 10/25 GbE expansion.

Released last year to meet increasingly stringent requirements in terms of reliability and sustained performance, Synology's lineup of SATA SSD drives has proven to be a dependable solution for powering IT operations in a variety of highly demanding scenarios. Synology drives are designed in conjunction with the entire stack of engineers responsible for each storage system to ensure complete hardware and software integration. It also produces new features and optimizations that would have been otherwise impossible.

Global memory brand TEAMGROUP has been leading the industry with its groundbreaking DDR5 memory products. Today, its gaming sub-brand T-FORCE announced the new SIREN GD240E All-In-One ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler, which comes with a mounting bracket for the latest LGA 1700 socket and fully supports 12th Generation Intel processors and Z690 motherboards, making it a must-have cooling solution for gamers. Launched alongside the CPU cooling system is the M200 Portable SSD, winner of Japan's 2021 GOOD DESIGN Award. Hardcore gamers around the world can look forward to both products when they are released globally this December.

The newly upgraded SIREN GD240E AIO ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler not only supports various older Intel and AMD sockets but also provides a mounting kit for the latest LGA 1700 socket. The specially selected base plate, support screws, and mounting brackets enable the water block to fit snugly with the processor. The full and even contact between the surfaces aids heat transfer swiftly to the high-density jet fin heat sink, greatly increasing the heat dissipation area and quickly removing heat from the CPU. To optimize efficiency and the path of heat transfer, the SIREN GD240E is equipped with an ultra-fast 4000RPM water pump that's installed on the radiator to reduce wear and noise on the CPU caused by water pump vibrations. These features allow the system to deliver 1.5 times higher cooling performance than typical liquid-cooled products while also providing the best protection for the next-gen Intel processors. The SIREN GD240E is an all-in-one liquid cooler system with top-notch heat dissipation and visual flair thanks to the water block's elegant mirror finish and high-speed ARGB fans that support all major motherboard lighting software.

T-FORCE, TEAMGROUP's gaming sub-brand, today announced the launch of the T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory in collaboration with ASUS TUF Gaming Alliance, the industry's first co-branded DDR5 gaming memory. Samples have been sent to TUF Gaming for testing with future DDR5 motherboards to ensure optimal compatibility and reliability. The T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory is set to create another splash for its speed and style that combines TUF Gaming's signature military aesthetics and T-FORCE's unique gaming elements.

The T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory maintains the RGB lighting along the top edges and its geometric wide-angled contour. With the addition of stealth fighter design elements to enhance the overall look, this new version is more striking than ever before. TEAMGROUP, in collaboration with TUF Gaming Alliance, gave the heatspreader a special camouflage pattern that showcases the unique gaming style of the TUF co-branding, which is sure to be a hit among fans of TUF. The dazzling RGB effects of the T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory can be synchronized using ASUS Aura software, allowing gamers to easily create their own lighting setup. In terms of specifications, the memory clocks in at an impressive 6000 MHz and comes in a 2X16GB dual-channel memory kit. This memory will satisfy gamers looking for the latest-gen hardware and give them a whole new feeling of extreme speed.

The growth of the NAND Flash market in 3Q21 was primarily driven by strong demand from the data center and smartphone industries, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. More specifically, NAND Flash suppliers' hyperscaler and enterprise clients kept up their procurement activities that began in 2Q21 in order to deploy products based on new processor platforms. Major smartphone brands, on the other hand, likewise expanded their NAND Flash procurement activities during the quarter as they prepared to release their new flagship models. As such, clients in both server and smartphone industries made significant contributions to the revenue growth of the NAND Flash industry for 3Q21. At the same time, however, suppliers also warned that orders from PC OEMs began showing signs of decline. On the whole, the industry's quarterly total NAND Flash bit shipment increased by nearly 11% QoQ for 3Q21, and the overall NAND Flash ASP rose by nearly 4% QoQ for the same quarter. Thanks to rising prices and expanding shipments, the quarterly total NAND Flash revenue increased by 15% QoQ to a new record high of US$18.8 billion in 3Q21.

Kioxia is continuing to expand its end user product range and its latest addition is an external USB-C SSD that goes by the name of Exceria Plus. It'll be available in 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB sizes, which seems like a decent range of size options. The USB-C interface sadly tops out at USB 3.2 Gen 2, or 10 Gbps speeds, which results in the corresponding maximum read speed of 1,050 MB/s and a maximum write speed of 1,000 MB/s.

The drive is MIL-STD-810H procedure IV impact tested, which means it can withstand a drop of about 1.2 metres onto reinforced concrete without taking any damage. The drive measures 105 x 45 x 14.7 mm (W x D x H) and weighs in at 76 grams, not including cables. Pricing in Japan starts at about US$78 and goes up to US$265.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced that five of its memory products achieved global recognition for successfully reducing its carbon emission, while 20 additional memory products received carbon footprint certification. Samsung's automotive LED packages also had their carbon footprint verification, a first in the industry for automotive LED packages, further expanding Samsung's portfolio of eco-conscious "green chips".

"It is exciting to see our environmentally sustainable efforts receiving global acknowledgements," said Seong-dai Jang, Senior Vice President and Head of DS Corporate Sustainability Management Office at Samsung Electronics. "We will continue our path towards a sustainable future with 'greener' chips enabled by Samsung's cutting-edge technology."

Leading global memory provider TEAMGROUP has been actively expanding in the industrial field for many years. In response to the development of 5G communication and the increasing demand for smart edge computing, TEAMGROUP today has announced two industrial-grade M.2 PCIe solid-state drives equipped with patented heat dissipating modules, the N75A-M80 and N75G-M80. The two products can be used in a limited space environment and provide excellent cooling performance during 24-hour high-speed operation, overcoming the extreme environments and ever-changing challenges of industrial applications.

To solve the issue of heat generated by SSDs under heavy workloads, TEAMGROUP launched two industrial M.2 PCIe SSDs that feature patented heat dissipating modules: N75A-M80, which comes with an aluminium fin heat sink (Taiwan Utility Model Patent No.: M541645), and N75G-M80, fitted with a graphene copper foil (Taiwan Invention Patent No.: I703921; US Invention Patent No.: US11051392B2). The two patented heat dissipating modules effectively reduce SSD slowdowns caused by high operating temperatures and significantly improve stability. The graphene heat sink of the N75G-M80 has a thickness of less than 1 mm, allowing for the SSD to be easily installed without interference. Even in 5G and IoT equipment, where installation space is limited, it can provide excellent cooling performance. The N75G-M80's outstanding technical performance was recognized in COMPUTEX d&i Awards 2021 and the Taiwan Excellence Awards 2022, winning awards from both.

KIOXIA, a worldwide leader in memory solutions, today announced the launch of the EXCERIA PLUS Portable SSD Series, scheduled to be released in November. The portable SSD series fits up to 2 TB of data in a new compact palm-size and rounded design. Compatible out-of-the-box with multiple host devices including PCs, smartphones, tablets and game consoles, making these portable SSDs suitable for on-the-go users and content creators seeking high-speed transfer of large data files.

The EXCERIA PLUS Portable SSD Series utilizes KIOXIA's BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and offers a line-up of capacities in 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB. With a maximum sequential read speed of 1,050 MB/s, the new series features a USB Type-C connector with a USB 3.2 Gen2 interface enabling fast transferring of 4K videos and high-resolution photos. Each EXCERIA PLUS Portable SSD also includes cables of both Type-C to A and Type-C to C to ensure the drive works on both current and legacy systems.

Lexar unveiled the Blaze SL660, a new line of portable gaming-grade SSDs. Measuring 112.6 mm x 57.4 mm x 10.6 mm (LxWxH), and weighing 80 g, the drives feature an ARGB LED lighting element, and a unique asymmetric shape. The drive takes advantage of the 20 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface, and offers sequential transfer rates of up to 2,000 MB/s reads, with up to 1,900 MB/s writes. There are two variants based on capacity—512 GB and 1 TB. The drives use a single cable for both power and host connectivity, with support for both type-C and type-A ports. A plastic stand is included with the drive, letting you place the drive along its side on your desk, as well as a faux-leather pouch to help you organize things. The company didn't reveal pricing, but is backing these drives with 5-year warranties.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories today announces the new upgraded ADATA IM2P33E8 PLP PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 solid state drive (SSD) with Power Loss Protection (PLP) technology. Since its launch in 2019, the IM2P33E8 has been recognized by industry insiders and customers involved in 5G, IoT, cloud, AI and other industrial applications for its excellent performance, high capacities, and comprehensive data security mechanism.

In order to meet the requirements of industrial applications in the era of 5G, IoT, Cloud, AI, and big data analytics, ADATA is offering an SSD that is able to operate for longer after power outages and reduce the misidentification of bad blocks. This was achieved by the inclusion of tantalum polymer capacitors to the IM2P33E8 PLP. Tantalum polymer capacitors have the ability to reduce the detriment caused by power outages, most notably data loss.

KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced that it has bolstered its lineup of PCIe 4.0 solid state drives (SSDs) with the addition of the KIOXIA BG5 Series. Designed to bring a suitable balance of performance, cost and power to everyday gamers and PC users, the KIOXIA BG5 Series is built with a PCIe 64 GT/s interface (Gen4 x4 lanes) and accelerated by the company's fifth-generation BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory technology.

As a virtual multi-LUN (VML)-enabled client SSD, the KIOXIA BG5 Series unlocks back-end flash performance while maintaining affordability, making it an especially attractive option for a wide range of commercial and consumer notebooks and desktops. KIOXIA BG5 SSDs also support the latest Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology to realize a finely optimized DRAM-less SSD. The KIOXIA BG5 ships in a compact M.2 2230 single-sided, thermally optimized form factor enabling mobility and work-from-home lifestyles. M.2 2280 single-sided form factor versions are also available.

Back in June, NVM Express, Inc announced the NVMe 2.0 specification, which included support for mechanical drives, also known as hard disk drives. Seagate has now demoed the first implementation of NVMe 2.0 on a HDD and is targeting market availability sometime in 2024. You might wonder why anyone would want an NVMe equipped hard drive and the short answer is that it's intended for the server space.

One of the key reasons that Seagate is even considering this, is because of its multi-actuator drives, which the company is expecting to surpass the interface speed of 12 Gbps SAS in the future. In addition to this, it makes sense having a single storage interface on servers, which allows for a mixed storage drive environment, where some drive bays can be fitted with SSDs and others with NVMe based hard drives. Seagate is planning to sample key customers with early drives in September 2022 and final drives will be backwards compatible with SATA and SAS.