LiteOn unveiled its latest MU3 line of mainstream SSDs. Built in the 7 mm-thick 2.5-inch form-factor with SATA 6 Gbps interface, the drive implements Toshiba's 64-layer BiCS 3D TLC NAND flash memory, and comes in capacities of 120 GB, 240 GB, and 480 GB. It offers sequential transfer rates of up to 560 MB/s reads, with up to 500 MB/s writes; and random-access throughput of up to 83,000 IOPS reads, with up to 89,000 IOPS writes. You get most features common to the segment, including NCQ, TRIM, SMART, and a 3-year warranty. LiteOn didn't reveal pricing.

Toshiba Memory Corporation, the world leader in memory solutions, has started sampling[1] the industry's first Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Ver. 3.0 embedded flash memory devices. The new line-up utilizes the company's cutting-edge, 96-layer BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and is available in three capacities: 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. With high-speed read/write performance and low power consumption, the new devices are suitable for applications such as mobile devices, smartphones, tablets, and augmented/virtual reality systems.

The new devices integrate 96-layer BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and a controller in a JEDEC-standard 11.5 x 13.0 mm package. The controller performs error correction, wear leveling, logical-to-physical address translation and bad-block management for simplified system development.

During our visit with Toshiba at CES 2019, we were shown not only new technologies that they will be rapidly deploying but a large number of SSDs for various market segments. The biggest draw was their 96-layer BiCS Flash with 4-bit-per-cell quadruple-level cell (QLC) technology. Toshiba is now pushing the boundary for capacity as a single chip device can reach 1.33 Tb (Terabits) while a single package device with 16-dies stacked architecture can reach 2.66 TB. That said, they are already sampling their 1 TB NVMe single package BG4 series SSDs to PC OEM customers in limited quantities.

These latest drives with their new BiCS FLASH technology incorporate everything into a tiny SSD that offers class-leading storage with sequential read performance reaching up to 2250 MB/s. Random read performance can also hit exceptional levels reaching up to 380,000 IOPS. For now, these BG4 based drives are targeted at ultra-thin PC notebooks, IoT embedded systems and will be made available in four capacities including; 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and finally 1 TB. To meet expected demand, Toshiba will also be opening a facility in Japan dedicated to this latest technology in order to bring even higher capacities per NAND module.

Toshiba Memory Corporation, the world leader in memory solutions, today announced the BG4 series, a new line-up of single package NVMe SSDs with capacities up to 1,024 GB, which places both innovative 96-layer 3D flash memory and an all-new controller into one package to deliver best-in-class read performance. The BG4 series is currently sampling to PC OEM customers in limited quantities, with general sample availability expected later in the second calendar quarter of 2019.

This new series of single package SSDs, featuring PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 lanes, offers sequential read performance up to 2,250 MB/s, and with improved flash management delivers industry-leading random read performance up to 380,000 IOPS. The BG4 single package SSDs are suitable for compact and performance-oriented systems, such as ultra-thin PC notebooks, IoT embedded systems and server boot in data centers.

Toshiba announces MG08 Series, the industry's largest capacity 16 TB Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR) HDD. With 33% more capacity than today's widely adopted 12 TB drives, and 14% more capacity than prior 14 TB models, MG08 16 TB drives are compatible with the widest range of applications and operating systems, and adapted to mixed random and sequential read and write workloads in both cloud and traditional datacenter environments.

The MG08 Series is Toshiba's second-generation helium-sealed HDD family, and eighth-generation Enterprise Capacity HDD family. Toshiba has delivered its industry-leading 16 TB capacity and improved power efficiency by utilizing the 9-disk helium design, introduced last year in 14 TB models, and its own advanced precision laser welding process to ensure the helium remains sealed inside the drive case. The MG08 features 7,200 rpm performance, a 550 TB per year workload rating, a 2.5 million-hour MTTF, a 512 MB cache buffer, and a choice of SATA and SAS interfaces-all in an industry-standard, 3.5-inch form factor.

Today Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc. is adding 12 TB and 14 TB models to both its N300 NAS Hard Drive and X300 Performance Hard Drive series. The new 12 TB and 14 TB models use a helium-sealed design, enabling the 3.5-inch mechanical design to deliver increased storage density with a lower hard drive operating power profile. Toshiba laser welding technology and hard drive case is designed to keep the helium securely sealed inside the drive enclosure.

The new 12 TB and 14 TB models operate at 7,200 rpm and come with an ultra-high 256MB data buffer. The N300 NAS and X300 models use Toshiba's advanced Stable Platter Technology to minimize vibrations by stabilizing the motor shaft at both ends for improved tracking accuracy and maximum performance during read and write operations.

Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc. today announces a new addition to its popular family of CANVIO external hard drives (HDDs), a 4 TB option in its ADVANCE, BASICS and READY series. The 4 TB option gives up to 33 percent extra storage (compared to 3 TB) for consumers and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that want to store large files and back up their data. Using 1TB platter technology allows the 4 TB CANVIO models to maintain the same low-profile design as 3 TB models. All models support Windows and Mac operating systems and are compatible with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.

CANVIO HDDs combine a sleek, slim and stylish design with practical features such as a ramp-load design to prevent internal wear, plug-and-play functionality, backup and security software (available on the ADVANCE models), and a range of more flexible capacity options of 1 TB, 2 TB, and now 4 TB.

Advantech, a global leading provider of the industrial flash storage solution SQFlash, today releases a flagship NVMe SSD product-SQFlash 920 series. This new series product line brings high performance, density, and full function storage security support, which allows complete design-in service for industrial applications. Advantech's SQFlash 920 series NVMe SSD includes the very popular M.2 2280 form factor (SQF-CM8) as well as a 2.5" U.2 form factor (SQF-C25) using the latest Toshiba BiCS3 3D NAND Flash technology to achieve up to 8TB per drive capacity.

Heading towards AIoT applications such as auto-piloting and industrial machine vision, the SQFlash 920 series is an industry first wide-temperature 3D NAND SSD that comes with built-in smart thermal management and comprehensive security features. Using the latest controller technology that includes LDPC and a RAID-ECC error correction engine, SQFlash 920 series provides best-in-class reliability and the same endurance level as planer MLC NAND Flash. What's more, a cloud ready online predictive maintenance feature (PMQ) is also available to help users remotely monitor their SSD.

Solid-state drives are cheaper than ever, thanks to systematic decline in NAND flash prices owing both to oversupply and increases in densities. NAND flash prices have already declined by 50 percent over 2018, according to a DigiTimes report, and will continue to slide through 2019. ADATA chairman Simon Chen commented that NAND flash makers haven't slowed down capacity expansions, and 2019 could witness an even bigger drop in prices than 2018.

Major NAND flash makers such as IMFlash Technology, SK Hynix, Samsung, Western Digital, Toshiba, have already taped out their 96-layer 3D NAND flash products, which could enter volume production in the first half of 2019. This could impact prices of existing swelling inventories of products based on 64-layer NAND flash. In theory, the 96-layer chips introduce 50 percent increases in densities. Adoption of newer technologies such as QLC (4 bits per cell) will expand densities even further. The same report also projects that DRAM prices could largely remain flat throughout 2019. Most NAND flash makers also happen to make DRAM, and could balance their NAND flash losses with DRAM profits.

Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC) today announced the appointment of Stacy J. Smith as Executive Chairman, effective on October 1, 2018. Smith brings a long and proven track record of executive leadership to TMC. He has extensive international experience, having both lived and led organizations in the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He will work closely with CEO Yasuo Naruke to provide overall leadership to the business.

Smith previously spent three decades at Intel leading organizations across multiple disciplines. In his role as President, Manufacturing, Operations and Sales, from 2016 to 2018, he led 40,000 employees involved in worldwide manufacturing, technology development, supply chain, pricing and sales. He also served as Intel's Chief Financial Officer for almost a decade and in this role also had responsibility for corporate strategy, M&A, and Intel Capital. Prior to that he served as Intel's Chief Information Officer and Vice President for Sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

MyDigitalSSD must have began rethinking their BPX Pro SSD lineup's pricing as soon as they entered the market. A mere three weeks later, the company has announced an up to 25% price cut on its lineup, ranging from your choice of 240 GB ($99.99 originally, now $74.99), 480 GB ($149.99 originally, now $129.99), 960 GB ($279.99 originally, now $259.99) and 1920 GB ($599.99 originally, will be available later at $569.99) capacities.

As a reminder, the MyDigitalSSD BPX (Bullet Proof eXpress) Pro NVMe SSDs leverage the PCIe 3.1 x4 complex in the M.2 SSD form-factor to deliver staggering (up to) sequential read and write speeds of 3,400MB/s and 3,100MB/s, respectively - with not too shabby 4K random performance. These speeds are achieved using Phison's new E12 controller paired with Toshiba-made BiCS3 TLC NAND flash, one of the industry's strongest NAND options. With these price-cuts, they've become one of the cheapest options in the market, and are likely vying for the price/performance crown.

Toshiba Memory Corporation and Western Digital Corporation today celebrated the opening of a new state-of-the-art semiconductor fabrication facility, Fab 6, and the Memory R&D Center, at Yokkaichi operations in Mie Prefecture, Japan. Toshiba Memory started construction of Fab 6, a dedicated 3D flash memory fabrication facility, in February 2017. Toshiba Memory and Western Digital have installed cutting-edge manufacturing equipment for key production processes including deposition and etching. Mass production of 96-layer 3D flash memory utilizing the new fab began earlier this month.

Demand for 3D flash memory is growing for enterprise servers, data centers and smartphones, and is expected to continue to expand in the years ahead. Further investments to expand its production will be made in line with market trends. The Memory R&D Center, located adjacent to Fab 6, began operations in March of this year, and will explore and promote advances in the development of 3D flash memory. Toshiba Memory and Western Digital will continue to cultivate and extend their leadership in the memory business by actively developing initiatives aimed at strengthening competitiveness, advancing joint development of 3D flash memory, and making capital investments according to market trends.

At the Flash Memory Summit (FMS) 2018, LITE-ON Storage previewed the first EDSFF 1U solid-state drive (SSD) to emerge from its work with CNEX Labs. The revolutionary drive gained great interest among storage advocates.

In collaboration with such partners, LITE-ON delivers an innovative and highly efficient storage solution for scalable computing that aligns to Open Compute Project (OCP) specifications. The resulting EDSFF (Enterprise and Datacenter SSD Form Factor) SSD will provide a more cost-effective solution for enterprise and hyperscale cloud environments.

"Standard SSD solutions are great at handling many typical business workloads, but the complexity of storing information in both cloud and data center infrastructure requires SSD firmware to be flexible and adaptable," said Charlie Tseng, CEO of LITE-ON Storage. "LITE-ON's expertise in SSD firmware is perfect for the varying needs of customers."

Toshiba at the Flash Memory Summit announced that it's developing 3D XL-Flash technology - an approach towards the creation of low-latency, 3D NAND that can take on the surging Optane and 3D XPoint memory technologies. Toshiba says the new approach to low-latency NAND could bring latency values down to just 1/10 of current consumer, TLC NAND pricing.

The bet here is on economies of scale - a revised NAND architecture and deployment will still be able to take advantage of the huge fabrication capacity that Toshiba already enjoys (and Samsung, with its Z-NAND, similar in purpose to what Toshiba want to do with XL-Flash), thus avoiding the need for technology and production ramp-up that brought Optane's pricing up. Toshiba will be using its BiCS flash technology, but XL-Flash will be - at least at first - deployed in SLC implementations, so as to improve performance (7 microseconds program time against QLC's 30 microsecond). Of course, this will bring storage density down, but remember the target here is offering Optane-like performance and equal or better density at lower pricing.

Toshiba, a committed technology leader, announces the MN07 Series 12 TB and 14 TB 3.5-inch hard disk drives for use in NAS platforms. The Toshiba MN07 Series utilizes a helium-sealed mechanical design to achieve the massive 14 TB and 12 TB capacity. The 14 TB model improves power efficiency by approximately 55 percent (W/GB) over the previous 10 TB "air" 7,200 rpm mechanical designs.

The MN07 Series is designed for use in NAS appliances with eight or more drive bays and is suitable for NAS file and object storage applications that require disk drives with workload ratings of up to 180 TB per year. The MN07 models feature vibration compensation technology and advanced Format (AF) 512e sector technology. Additionally, both devices offer 24/7 operability, superior reliability with MTTF of 1.0 Million hours, and are compatible with popular 3rd-party, 3.5-inch NAS enclosures.

Toshiba Memory Corporation, the world leader in memory solutions, today held a groundbreaking ceremony for the first semiconductor fabrication facility (fab), called K1, in Kitakami, Iwate prefecture, in northeastern Japan. On its completion in autumn 2019, the facility will be one of the most advanced manufacturing operations in the world, dedicated to production of 3D flash memory.

Toshiba Memory continues to advance technologies in flash memory. The company is now leading the way forward with advances in its BiCS FLASH , its proprietary 3D flash memory.

As of June 30, 2018 we had 100,254 spinning hard drives in Backblaze's data centers. Of that number, there were 1,989 boot drives and 98,265 data drives. This review looks at the quarterly and lifetime statistics for the data drive models in operation in our data centers. We'll also take another look at comparing enterprise and consumer drives, get a first look at our 14 TB Toshiba drives, and introduce you to two new SMART stats. Along the way, we'll share observations and insights on the data presented and we look forward to you doing the same in the comments.
Hard Drive Reliability Statistics for Q2 2018

Of the 98,265 hard drives we were monitoring at the end of Q2 2018, we removed from consideration those drives used for testing purposes and those drive models for which we did not have at least 45 drives. This leaves us with 98,184 hard drives. The table below covers just Q2 2018.

Toshiba today introduced the XG6 series SSDs. Built in the M.2-2280 form-factor with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 interface, the drives take advantage of the NVMe 1.3a protocol, and succeed the XG5 series from 2017. The drives implement Toshiba's new 96-layer 3D TLC NAND flash dubbed BiCS Flash, which went into mass-production in Q1-2018. Available in 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB capacities, the drives offer sequential transfer rates of up to 3,180 MB/s reads, with up to 2,960 MB/s writes. Also on offer are 4K random access transfer rates of up to 355,000 IOPS reads, with up to 365,000 IOPS writes. The drives are expected to be backed by 5-year warranties, when they go on sale at prices competitive with the likes of Samsung's 970 EVO series.

Western Digital Corp. today announced successful development of its second-generation, four-bits-per-cell architecture for 3D NAND. Implemented for the company's 96-layer BiCS4 device, the QLC technology delivers the industry's highest 3D NAND storage capacity of 1.33 terabits (Tb) in a single chip. BiCS4 was developed at the joint venture flash manufacturing facility in Yokkaichi, Japan with our partner Toshiba Memory Corporation. It is sampling now and volume shipments are expected to commence this calendar year beginning with consumer products marketed under the SanDisk brand. The company expects to deploy BiCS4 in a wide variety of applications from retail to enterprise SSDs.

Toshiba Memory Corporation, the world leader in memory solutions, today announced that it has developed a prototype sample of 96-layer BiCS FLASH, its proprietary 3D flash memory, with 4-bit-per-cell (quad level cell, QLC) technology that boosts single-chip memory capacity to the highest level yet achieved.Toshiba Memory will start to deliver samples to SSD and SSD controller manufacturers for evaluation from the beginning of September, and expects to start mass production in 2019.

The advantage of QLC technology is pushing the bit count for data per memory cell from three to four and significantly expanding capacity. The new product achieves the industry's maximum capacity of 1.33 terabits for a single chip which was jointly developed with Western Digital Corporation. This also realizes an unparalleled capacity of 2.66 terabytes with a 16-chip stacked architecture in one package. The huge volumes of data generated by mobile terminals and the like continue to increase with the spread of SNS and progress in IoT, and the need to analyze and utilize that data in real time is expected to increase dramatically. That will require even faster than HDD, larger capacity storage and QLC products using the 96-layer process will contribute a solution.

Toshiba today announced that Super Micro Computer, Inc. has successfully qualified the MG07ACA Series 14TB and 12TB HDD SATA models on select Supermicro storage server platforms. Using a 9-disk, helium-sealed design, the new MG07ACA Series provides power-efficient capacity and storage density, which is now available on Supermicro's popular SuperStorage (SSG) line-up of server platforms. The MG07 Series industry-leading 14TB capacity allows data center customers a choice of storage server platform solutions available through Supermicro's extensive network of distributors as well as systems and solutions integrators.

"As we continue to develop solutions to meet the growing capacity needs of enterprise and cloud data center customers, Toshiba is pleased to be working with Supermicro on solutions utilizing our new MG07ACA Series helium-sealed HDD," said Shuji Takaoka, General Manager of Storage Products Sales & Marketing Division at Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation. "Toshiba's innovative, power-efficient 9-disk design delivers the highest capacity available in the market today using conventional magnetic recording, and matches up well with Supermicro's highly-regarded lineup of server and storage solutions."

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. today announced that Super Micro Computer, Inc. has successfully qualified the MG07ACA Series 14TB and 12TB HDD SATA models on select Supermicro storage server platforms. Using a 9-disk, helium-sealed design, the new MG07ACA Series provides power-efficient capacity and storage density, which is now available on Supermicro's popular SuperStorage (SSG) line-up of server platforms. The MG07 Series industry-leading 14TB capacity allows data center customers a choice of storage server platform solutions available through Supermicro's extensive network of distributors as well as systems and solutions integrators.

"As we continue to develop solutions to meet the growing capacity needs of enterprise and cloud data center customers, Toshiba is pleased to be working with Supermicro on solutions utilizing our new MG07ACA Series helium-sealed HDD," said Kyle Yamamoto, Vice President of HDD Business Unit, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. "Toshiba's innovative, power-efficient 9-disk design delivers the highest capacity available in the market today using conventional magnetic recording, and matches up well with Supermicro's highly-regarded lineup of server and storage solutions."

Today Toshiba Memory America, Inc., the U.S.-based subsidiary of Toshiba Memory Corporation, unveiled a new, game-changing category of SAS SSDs expected to replace SATA SSDs in server applications. The RM5 12Gbit/s value SAS (vSAS) series features capacity, performance, reliability, manageability and data security advantages - at a price that obsoletes SATA SSDs.

A homogeneous SAS environment has long been the gold standard for enterprise server and storage systems. With vertical integration expertise in flash technology, firmware and controller design, Toshiba leveraged its leading position as the world's leading SAS SSD line optimizing RM5 to close the cost gap with SATA - and usher in a new class of SSD. SATA simply cannot compete with SAS, falling well short in terms of performance, robustness and encryption options.

Toshiba Memory America, Inc. (TMA), the U.S.-based subsidiary of Toshiba Memory Corporation, today announced that its RC100 Series of NVMe (NVM Express ) M.2 solid state drives (SSDs) is now available. First introduced earlier this year at CES 2018, the new RC100 Series is geared toward the retail DIY market and features a powerful yet cost-effective design to make the benefits of NVMe storage accessible to more users than ever before. The Toshiba RC100 Series is well-suited to the entire spectrum of mainstream computing - from gaming desktops and notebooks to mini-PCs (NUCs) and everything in between. The new drives are available in capacities of 120, 240 and 480 gigabytes.

While the performance advantages of first-generation NVMe drives are well known, this high performance has come at an equally high cost - until now. By leveraging its state-of-the-art 64-layer, 3-bit-per-cell TLC (triple-level cell) BiCS FLASH technology and an in-house-developed controller, Toshiba Memory Corporation was able to fit an entire SSD within a single BGA package. The RC100 Series balances cost and performance and bridges the gap between SATA and enthusiast-grade NVMe SSDs. A compact design also enables the RC100 to fit onto an M.2 2242 (22x42mm) PCB, making it one of the smallest SSDs commercially available.

Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC) today announced that it decided to start construction of a new state-of-the-art fab for BiCS FLASH , its proprietary 3D flash memory, in Kitakami, Iwate prefecture in July this year.

TMC has selected Kitakami City as the next location to expand its operations in September last year, and has started preparations for construction of the new fab. Demand for 3D flash memory is increasing significantly on fast growing demand for enterprise SSD for datacenters and servers. TMC expects continued strong growth in the mid and long term, and the timing of its construction positions it to capture this growth and expand its business.

The new fab will be completed in 2019, and will have a quake absorbing structure and an environmentally friendly design that includes the latest energy saving manufacturing equipment. It will also introduce an advanced production system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to boost productivity. Decisions on the new fab's equipment investment, production capacity and production plan will reflect market trends. TMC expects to continue its joint venture investments based on discussion with Western Digital in the new facility.