GIGABYTE today unveiled the M30 line of solid state drives built in the M.2-2280 form-factor, which leverage PCI-Express 3.0 x4 host interface. The drives combine an unknown controller with 256 MB of DDR3L DRAM cache, and 3D TLC NAND flash memory; and comes in capacities of 512 GB and 1 TB. Both these capacity variants have the same amount of DRAM cache. GIGABYTE is using a high-density PCB with 2 oz copper layers, which it claims, can lower controller temperature by up to 15 °C and NAND flash temperature by up to 5 °C.

As for performance, GIGABYTE claims that both capacity variants offer sequential reads of up to 3500 MB/s, and sequential writes of up to 3000 MB/s. The 1 TB variant offers 4K random reads of up to 308,000 IOPS, and random writes of up to 332,000 IOPS; while the 512 GB variant is slightly faster, offering up to 350,000 IOPS 4K random reads, and 302,000 IOPS 4K random writes. The drives are backed by 5-year warranty, the 1 TB variant offers an endurance of 650 TBW, and the 512 GB variant 350 TBW. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Western Digital Corp. (Nasdaq: WDC) today reported fiscal third quarter 2021 financial results. "We reported solid results above the guidance range, driven by increasing momentum of our energy-assisted drives and our second-generation NVMe enterprise SSDs, improving NAND flash pricing trends, along with the continued accelerated digital transformation across end markets," said David Goeckeler, Western Digital CEO.

"Western Digital's strengths in technology and cost leadership, expansive product portfolio and broad routes to market are providing a foundation upon which we are solidifying our position as an essential building block of the digital economy. These strengths, combined with our increased operational and strategic focus enabled by our new business unit structure, are driving results. As we continue to face a dynamic environment, we are seeing the benefits of the synergistic value in the breadth of Western Digital's portfolio, and our unique ability to deliver both hard drive and flash solutions to our diverse end-markets and customer base."

ATP Electronics, the global leader in specialized storage and memory solutions, has announced the launch of its tiniest NVMe flash storage offering: the N700 Series PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe solid state drives (SSDs, which are available as M.2 Type 1620 heatsink ball-grid array (HSBGA) package. Complying with M.2 specifications, the M.2 Type 1620 HSBGA measures just 16 (L) x 20 (W) x 1.6 (H) mm, supporting high-speed PCIe 3.0 interface x4 lanes and NVMe protocol to deliver up to 32 Gb/s bandwidth at 8 Gb/s per lane. The soldered-down design makes them vibration-proof, while the 291-ball packaging takes up minimal space within tightly confined systems.

For customers who prefer a removable and field-replaceable design, ATP can accommodate the HSBGA onto an M.2 2230 module with the same firmware and NAND configuration. Both variants are suitable for thin and light systems in embedded, industrial and mobile applications. N700 Series SSDs are built with 3D triple-level cell (TLC) configured as pseudo single-level cell (pSLC) NAND flash. By storing only one bit per cell, they increase the reliability and endurance of the NAND flash memory, while benefiting from the lower cost compared with native SLC, due to the higher cell density.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced its launch of the industry's highest performing 24G SAS (SAS-4) SSD - the PM1653. Based on the latest SAS interface, the new drive can support twice the speed of the previous 12G SAS-3 generation. The PM1653 is also the industry's first 24G SAS SSD made with sixth-generation (1xx-layer) V-NAND chips, enabling storage capacities from 800 GB to 30.72 TB for advanced enterprise server systems.

"As the leading provider of SAS storage for a decade, Samsung has been offering the most advanced and reliable enterprise solutions in full support of the critical workloads of global server OEMs, governments and financial institutions. Samsung enterprise solutions are also accredited by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology for the most powerful data security," said Kwangil Park, senior vice president of the Memory Product Planning Team at Samsung Electronics. "Like we have done with the PM1653, Samsung will continue to collaborate with our customers to accommodate the ever-growing demand of the enterprise server market for the most uncompromising offerings available."

Akasa has added two new aluminium enclosures for M.2 drives to the current range of products. These are compatible with both SATA and NVMe drives and features USB 3.1 Generation 2 connectivity and UASP support, meaning you'll be making the most out of the super-fast data transfer speeds from your M.2 drive of up to 10 Gb/s.

The body on both enclosures are machined out of high-quality aluminium, ensuring a tight, safe fit for the closing mechanism. A tool-free design allows the installation of an M.2 SSD to be quick and easy, whilst also functioning as a heatsink to draw away excess heat from the drive. The sleek and simple Akasa logo finishes off the design perfectly, making the enclosure stand out from the crowd.

Microsoft on Tuesday, in a developer presentation, confirmed that the DirectStorage API, designed to speed up the storage sub-system, is compatible even with NVMe SSDs that use the PCI-Express Gen 3 host interface. It also confirmed that all GPUs compatible with DirectX 12 support the feature. A feature making its way to the PC from consoles, DirectStorage enables the GPU to directly access an NVMe storage device, paving the way for GPU-accelerated decompression of game assets.

This works to reduce latencies at the storage sub-system level, and offload the CPU. Any DirectX 12-compatible GPU technically supports DirectStorage, according to Microsoft. The company however recommends DirectX 12 Ultimate GPUs "for the best experience." The GPU-accelerated game asset decompression is handled via compute shaders. In addition to reducing latencies; DirectStorage is said to accelerate the Sampler Feedback feature in DirectX 12 Ultimate.More slides from the presentation follow.

BIWIN, a leading chip manufacturer for flash storage, reached an agreement with Acer to bring Acer-branded memory and personal SSD storage products to customers in the United States and China. The product offerings will take advantage of BIWIN's manufacturing capabilities and Acer's global brand recognition to provide the latest memory and storage solutions for both professional and home users. The new Acer-branded SSD portfolio offers a range of 2.5" SATA, M.2 SATA and M.2 PCIe NVMe drives. The entry-level 2.5" SA100 offers performance and reliability and is available in capacities from 120 GB to 1.92 TB.

The RE100 is available as a standard 2.5" SATA drive as well as in a smaller M.2 SATA form factor. With capacities from 128 GB up to 1 TB (M.2) and 4 TB (SATA) and with read and write speeds of 560 MB/s and 520 MB/s, the RE100 performs close to the SATA interface's maximum speed and is an extremely reliable solution in terms of speed and capacity to upgrade any desktop PC or laptop to the latest SATA technology. In terms of maximizing performance, an Acer-branded M.2 PCIe Gen3 NVMe drive, the FA100—is available in capacities from 128 GB up to 2 TB, reaching up to 3300 MB/s read and 2700 MB/s write speeds. This exceptional performance is six times faster than standard SATA SSDs.

A new cryptocurrency going by the name of Chia could bring about a boom in demand for HDD and SSD, which have been kept relatively untouched by the latest mining and supply constraints. However, optimistic predictions of falling prices for NAND (optimistic for consumers, that is) could prove to be erroneous. Apparently, the new cryptocurrency, which saw its whitepaper being published in February 9th and has already led to shortages of high-performance SSDs from China's Jiahe Jinwei.

The cryptocurrency was designed to be mined in SSDs and HDDs, looking to cut on electricity cost from proof of Work (PoW) cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and (still) Ethereum. The intention is for the cryptocurrency to have as broad an appeal as possible, by excluding the need for prohibitive investments in either ASICs (for Bitcoin) or GPUs (for Ethereum and other Dagger/Hashimoto-based calculations). It also leverages that which is most widely available and oftentimes left empty of any workload - storage space. Due to this, it's been reported that Chinese miners are already buying HDDs (4 TB through to 18 TB) and SSDs (mainly NVMe solutions) in bulk. This could prevent technologists from ushering in the current trend of falling storage pricing - if demand becomes as crazy as it has become in the GPU space.

Silicon Power (SP) is releasing its latest PCIe Gen3 x4 SSD, the XD80, available in massive storage capacities up to 2 TB. It is the ideal solution for performance enthusiasts building custom gaming rigs or desktops. Featuring SLC Caching and DRAM Cache Buffer, the XD80 peels rubber with blazing read/write speeds up to 3,400/3,000 MB/s, respectively. Its high-speed PCIe Gen3 x4 interface leaves traditional SATA III SSDs behind in the dust, giving hardcore gamers the competitive edge they need to secure the win.

With NVMe 1.3 support, the XD80 delivers higher performance, lower latency, and lower power consumption for the smoothest gameplay without any lag. The durable aluminium heatsink provides maximum heat dissipation and thermal management. In fact, compared to SSDs without a heatsink, the XD80 keeps temperatures as much as 20% lower, maintaining its stability.

Transcend, is proud to announce the new launch of the SSD250N, a 2.5" solid-state drive (SSD) tailor-made for Network Attached Storage (NAS) systems to support rising demand for remote offices, remote education, and remote recreation brought on by COVID-19. This drive was specifically designed for continually operating NAS systems. The built-in DRAM cache and 3D NAND flash deliver high IOPS, reducing latency and speeding up NAS systems. Packed with multiple advanced technologies, the SSD250N provides outstanding reliability and extends NAS lifespan, fully assisting small and medium-sized business operations, multimedia streaming at home, and speeding up multi-user access to shared data.

Transcend's SSD250N is ready for use with NAS systems on 24/7 as it offers up to 2,000 TBW. Its 3D NAND flash and the SATA III interface unleash random speeds of up to 82K IOPS, optimizing data transfer. The built-in DRAM cache boosts read and write speeds, offering stable performance for seamless backups, instant central management and real-time file synchronization. Whether your NAS is serving up your favorite shows on your home media center while archiving music, photos, and videos, or is used in 4K or 8K video editing, or even at a business constantly trading data with clients, the SSD250N is ready to do the heavy lifting.

Patriot Memory's gaming brand, Viper Gaming, today announced the VP4300 series M.2 NVMe SSDs that take advantage of the PCI-Express 4.0 x4 bus. The drives combine Innogrit IG5236 controllers with 3D TLC NAND flash memory, and come in 1 TB and 2 TB capacity variants. On offer are sequential transfer rates of up to 7400 MB/s sequential reads, with up to 6800 MB/s writes for the 2 TB variant, and up to 5500 MB/s writes for the 1 TB variant; along with 4K random access performance of up to 800,000 IOPS.

The Viper VP4300 comes with two thermal solutions in the box. You can choose to run it bare (in notebooks, where it might thermal-throttle); with a thin copper heatspreader that uses a graphene-based thermal pad, or a slightly thicker aluminium heatsink. The drives are backed by 5-year warranties.

Update Apr 16th: Patriot reports that the 1 TB version will be priced at USD $254.99, and the 2 TB version at $499.99.

Novachips Co., Ltd., an innovator in flash storage solutions, today announced that it has started shipping a newcomer in its SCALAR Series of high-capacity SSDs. The new entrant, SCALAR-20T, is a 2.5-inch SATA MLC (Multi-Level Cell) 20 TB SSD that is entirely based on in-house hardware and firmware. SCALAR-20T utilizes Novachips' NVS3800 controller, and no third-party components—including JBOD and RAID component chips—are built into the device.

Since launching the world's first 2.5-inch SATA and NVMe MLC 8 TB in 2015, Novachips has consistently broken new ground in the massive capacity flash storage arena. The standard bus topology interface between SSD controllers and NAND flash memory has proven a limiting factor in flash storage capacity innovation. Novachips has resolved this structural problem by using a unique point-to-point ring topology. This technology has helped Novachips build its most recent, 20 TB capacity SSD, without compromising on performance or reliability from channel noise over its guaranteed lifetime.

KIOXIA today announced that its lineup of CM6 Series PCIe 4.0 enterprise NVMe SSDs has been successfully tested and certified to support NVIDIA's Magnum IO GPUDirect Storage. Modern AI and data science applications are synonymous with massive datasets - as are the storage requirements that go along with them. Part of the NVIDIA Magnum IO subsystem designed for GPU-accelerated compute environments, NVIDIA Magnum IO GPUDirect Storage allows the GPU to bypass the CPU and communicate directly with NVMe SSD storage. This improves overall system performance while reducing the impact on host CPU and memory resources. Through rigorous testing conducted by NVIDIA, KIOXIA's CM6 drives have been confirmed to meet the demanding storage requirements of GPU-intensive applications.

Large AI/ML, HPC modeling and data analytics datasets need to be moved and processed in real-time, pushing performance requirements through the roof," said Neville Ichhaporia, vice president, SSD marketing and product management for KIOXIA America, Inc. "By delivering speeds up to 16.0 gigatransfers per second throughput per lane, our CM6 Series SSDs enable NVIDIA's Magnum IO GPUDirect Storage to work with increasingly large and distributed datasets, thereby improving overall application performance and providing a path to scaling dataset sizes even further."

Leading memory provider TEAMGROUP challenges the SSD industry's highest speeds today with its launch of the CARDEA A440 PCIe 4.0 SSD under its gaming sub-brand T-FORCE. It features extreme read and write speeds up to 7000 MB/s and 6900 MB/s, respectively, and comes with two patented heat sinks that gamers can install and match to their needs. The SSD's blazing speeds will help players unleash their skills and venture into gaming worlds faster than ever.

The T-FORCE CARDEA A440 PCIe 4.0 SSD supports the PCIe Gen 4x4 specification and the latest NVMe 1.4 standard and is backward compatible with PCIe 3.0 interface ports. Not only does it support high read/write speeds of up to 7000/6900 MB/s, but it is also available with large capacities of 1 or 2 TB. The classic matte black CARDEA A440 features two of the industry's first interchangeable, patent-certified thermal modules. The layered and unique beveled surface of the "aluminium fins" is specially designed to increase the heat dissipation area and can reduce SSD temperature by up to 15%[1]. The "ultra-thin graphene heat sinks" consist of the best materials for thermal conductivity and can dissipate heat by up to 9%. TEAMGROUP's CARDEA A440 provides the best heat dissipation solution. Gamers no longer need to worry about encountering thermal throttling when running games at full speed, causing slowdowns. They can freely enjoy the ultimate gaming experience.

Intel today launched its most advanced, highest performance data center platform optimized to power the industry's broadest range of workloads—from the cloud to the network to the intelligent edge. New 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors (code-named "Ice Lake") are the foundation of Intel's data center platform, enabling customers to capitalize on some of the most significant business opportunities today by leveraging the power of AI.

New 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors deliver a significant performance increase compared with the prior generation, with an average 46% improvement on popular data center workloads. The processors also add new and enhanced platform capabilities including Intel SGX for built-in security, and Intel Crypto Acceleration and Intel DL Boost for AI acceleration. These new capabilities, combined with Intel's broad portfolio of Intel Select Solutions and Intel Market Ready Solutions, enable customers to accelerate deployments across cloud, AI, enterprise, HPC, networking, security and edge applications.

XPG, a fast-growing provider of systems, components, and peripherals for Gamers, E-sports Pros, and Tech Enthusiasts, announcesthe launch of the XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 2280 solid state drive (SSD). Sporting the latest PCIe Gen4 x4 interface and a host of other capabilities, this SSD delivers fast read/write speeds to meet the demands of gaming, graphics processing, and 5G applications. What's more, its unique heat sink design offers excellent thermal cooling for optimal performance and stability. Its compact M.2 2280 form factor makes it ideal for most laptop PCs, including Intel Evo certified laptops, and game consoles.

With the latest PCIe Gen4 interface, the GAMMIX S70 BLADE will help gamers dominate the competition with sequential read/write performance of up to 7400/6400 MB/s. This is up to two times faster than PCIe 3.0 SSDs and fifteen times faster than SATA SSDs. For ease of use, it is backward compatible with PCIe 3.0.The S70 BLADE is equipped with 3D NAND Flash for higher capacities (up to 2 TB) and enhanced efficiency and durability, and it is compliant with NVMe 1.4.

ZADAK, a leading provider of PC gaming components and innovative water cooling solutions, announces a new TWSG3 M.2 PCIe Gen 3x4 SSD using graphene heatsink technology. This appears alongside the new ZADAK Widget software which allows users to easily monitor the health of their SSD. It can be downloaded for free from the ZADAK website.

The TWSG3 features a graphene heatsink with a futuristic digital design, offering not only a stylish look but also 15% optimization of cooling performance. This heatsink will keep your SSD safe from high temperatures when it is under heavy load - whether booting your computer or loading the next game or application on your desktop PC. Graphene is a game-changing material that will be applied to many future PC technology developments - it's simply a matter of time. It really helps in reducing temperatures and was an ideal choice when searching for a complimentary material to add to the heatsink on the TWSG3.

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation, a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, today announced that its flagship SM2708 SD Express controller solution now supports the latest SD 8.0 specification and backward compatibility to SD 7.1 specification. With PCIe Gen 3 x2 interface and NVMe 1.3, the SM2708 SD Express controller solution is targeted at the advancement of applications with demanding performance levels across a variety of industries enabled by Ultra-High Performance SD Express cards. The SM2708 turnkey solution supports the latest 3D NAND and features Silicon Motion's proprietary NANDXtend ECC technology, internal data path protection, and programmable firmware to maximize reliability and endurance.

"Many of the latest high-end cameras & mobile phones are capable of recording video in 8K and require a faster transfer rate," said Nelson Duann, Silicon Motion's Senior Vice President of Marketing and R&D. "With the SM2708 controller now supporting the SD 8.0 specification which nearly triples throughput, applications such as 8K video capture, RAW photography, multi-channel IOT devices, multi-processing automotive storage and other applications requiring ultra-high data speeds are possible."

Gigabyte Technology, one of the top global manufacturers of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, announces today the latest BIOS of B560 AORUS motherboards. Enhanced by the 12+1 phases DrMOS power stage with 60 Amps for each and full coverage VRM thermal design, B560 AORUS motherboards can support Intel Core i9 11900K (F) series processors overclocking to all cores 5.1 GHz. The exclusive anti-interference design of memory circuit enables DDR4 speed raising up to XMP 4800 MHz, and overclocking performance boost to DDR4 5300 MHz. which demonstrates GIGABYTE's strong R&D strength and persistence in quality. Users can enjoy the performance boost of time-limited overclocking by simply updating to the latest BIOS to meet their special needs.1

Intel B series chipset motherboards have been always excluded from overclocking due to the product positioning. Although the memory XMP overclocking is unlocked on 500 series, the processor frequency can only reach up to 4.8 GHz by Turbo Boost. Thanks to the efforts of Gigabyte's R&D team, the processor can be overclocked to 5.1 GHz and maintain low temperature under the Prime95 no AVX burn-in test. This powerful performance benefits from the top-quality materials of GIGABYTE AORUS motherboards and product design capabilities, which include 12+1 phases/ 60Apms DrMOS power stage, 6 layers 2Oz ultra-cool PCB, full-covered VRM thermal design, and the latest Smart Fan 6 technology for temperature control. These features allow processors to have a stable and pure power supply under ultra-high frequency operation, providing the most solid backing for the CPU limited-time overclocking.

Mushkin Enhanced MFG, today unveiled its new DELTA and GAMMA series of high-performance NVMe solid-state drives (SSDs) featuring blazing fast sequential speeds of up to 7175 MB/s read and 6800 MB/s write the new SSDs deliver an uncompromising mix of speed, storage capacity and reliability for mainstream, gamers and professional PC users alike.

The DELTA series, powered by Phison's E16 series controller, features the next evolution of the PCI-Express Gen4 interface offering an impressive range of performance, security, and reliability. Delivering up to 10 times the sequential read and sequential write speeds of some SATA SSDs and up to 50 times the speed of some traditional HDDs. The GAMMA series, powered by Phison's E18 series controller, Pushes the limits of performance, capacity, cost, and energy efficiency, making it the ideal solution for gamers, content creators, and computing enthusiasts, which demand the absolute best out of their PC system.

Kingston today announces the launch of the NV1 NVMe PCIe SSD. With efficient performance in a single-sided M.2 design, NV1 is the ideal entry-level drive for first-time NVMe users with laptops and small form factor PCs. NV1 is a substantial storage solution with capacities up to 2 TB. It features read/write speeds up to 2,100/1,700 MB/s, respectively, thus delivering 3x the performance of a SATA-based SSD. NV1 uses less power, emits less heat and has quicker load times making it ideal for users who appreciate responsiveness and ultra-fast data access but have systems with limited space. NV1 is available in 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB capacities and is backed by a limited three-year warranty, free tech support and legendary Kingston reliability.

SMART Modular Technologies, a subsidiary of SMART Global Holdings, Inc., (Nasdaq: SGH), has expanded its DuraFlash ME2 SATA SSD product family with the addition of M.2 2242 SATA, mSATA (MO-300A) and Slim SATA (MO-297A) that complement the current M.2 2280 and 2.5" SSD form factors in SMART's DuraFlash portfolio.

The new ME2 SATA SSD form factors are ideal for embedded computing, transportation, medical and industrial applications that require either smaller or legacy SSD form factors. Built with Triple-Level Cell (TLC) 3D NAND technology, they are available in both commercial (0 °C to 70 °C) and industrial (-40 °C to 85 °C) operating temperatures. The ME2 family SSDs provide enhanced reliability by incorporating advanced LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) error detection and correction, plus end-to-end data path protection ensuring extremely high data integrity and reliability.

TEAMGROUP's T-CREATE brand, which gives creators around the world the tools to express their creativity and inspiration, has updated its product lines again with today's launch of the EXPERT DDR4 OC10L desktop memory, CLASSIC PCIe 4.0 SSD, and CLASSIC DDR4 10L laptop memory. T-CREATE continues to launch diverse new products with improved specifications, producing powerful hardware to meet the needs of creators.

The T-CREATE EXPERT DESKTOP DDR4 OC10L not only has up to 32 GB of capacity per module but also an overclocking feature that automatically increases its frequency to 3600 MHz, providing worry-free overclocking with stable, high-frequency performance. It comes in a titanium grey finish that exudes the tasteful minimalism of the EXPERT product line. In addition, the memory uses a 10-layer PCB with a specialized anti-noise design for better processing capability, allowing creators to work on tasks simultaneously, whether it be producing animation, video editing, or converting large files. It substantially improves work efficiency and excels in multitasking during creative projects.

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, today announced the new NQ100 2.5" SATA III (6Gb/s) SSD. The NQ100 solid-state drive is an easy upgrade for users looking to improve the performance of their laptop or desktop computers. Improve your system's performance and enjoy faster startups, data transfers, and load times for applications. Boasting read speeds of up to 550MB/s, the Lexar NQ100 SSD will refresh your laptop or PC for a faster experience. The NQ100 SSD is also shock and vibration resistant, making it more reliable and durable than a typical hard drive. It is also cooler, quieter, and more energy efficient than traditional HDD.

"Lexar is dedicated to expanding our SSD portfolio and continue to offer high-quality solid-state drives for various computing needs. The new Lexar NQ100 SSD provides customers with an easy yet cost-effective way to boost PC performance, and with capacity options ranging from 240GB-960GB, users can easily expand storage for their content-driven lifestyles," said Joel Boquiren, General Manager of Lexar. NQ100 SSD is available this month for purchase online at an MSRP of $30.99 USD (240GB), $52.99 USD (480GB) with 960GB to be announced at a future date.

With Samsung, YMTC, SK Hynix, and Intel leading the charge, NAND Flash suppliers will maintain an aggressive effort to expand their production capacities throughout 2Q21, during which NAND Flash bit output will likely increase by nearly 10% QoQ, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. On the other hand, orders from PC OEMs and Chinese smartphone brands since 1Q21, as well as recovering procurement activities from clients in the data center segment during 2Q21, will generate upward momentum propelling NAND Flash bit demand. Furthermore, buyers are actively stocking up on finished products, such as SSDs and eMMC, due to persistently limited NAND Flash controller supply. TrendForce therefore expects NAND Flash contract prices to increase by an average of 3-8% QoQ in 2Q21 after experiencing a 5-10% decline QoQ in 1Q21. In particular, as Samsung's Line S2 fab in Austin has yet to resume full operation after the Texas winter storm, the supply of NAND Flash controllers going forward may be at risk, and Samsung's ability to manufacture client SSDs will be further constrained as a result. In light of these factors, TrendForce is not ruling out the possibility that NAND Flash contract prices may increase by even more than current forecasts.