Sabrent today debuted the Rocket 4 line of DRAMless M.2 NVMe Gen 4 SSDs. Built in the M.2-2280 form-factor, these drives take advantage of the PCI-Express 4.0 x4 host interface, and provide sequential transfer speeds of up to 7.4 GB/s reads, with up to 6.4 GB/s writes. The drives also offer 4K random access performance of up to 1 million IOPS reads, and 0.95 million IOPS writes. For now, Sabrent is launching 1 TB and 2 TB capacity variants of the Rocket 4, but the company is preparing to launch a larger 4 TB variant soon.

The Sabrent Rocket 4 combines a Phison E27T series DRAMless controller with Kioxia 162-layer 3D TLC NAND flash memory (also known as the BiCS 6). There's just a copper foil heat spreader to keep things cool. The 12 nm E27T doesn't run anywhere near as hot as the E18, so you can make do with the heatsink your motherboard includes, or run it the way it is. The 1 TB variant is priced at $99.99, and the 2 TB variant at $199.99. The company didn't reveal pricing of the unreleased 4 TB variant.

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced sampling of the industry's first Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Ver. 4.0 embedded flash memory devices designed for automotive applications. These new, higher performing devices deliver fast embedded storage transfer speeds in a small package size and are targeted to a variety of next-generation automotive applications, including telematics, infotainment systems and ADAS. The improved performance] of UFS products from Kioxia - including approximately +100% for sequential read speed and approximately +40% for sequential write speed - enables these applications to take advantage of 5G's connectivity benefits, leading to faster system startup times and a better user experience.

The first to introduce UFS technology, Kioxia continues to move the technology forward. Its new UFS Ver. 4.0 devices integrate the company's innovative BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and a controller in a JEDEC-standard package. UFS 4.0 incorporates MIPI M-PHY 5.0 and UniPro 2.0 and supports theoretical interface speeds of up to 23.2 Gbps per lane or 46.4 Gbps per device. UFS 4.0 is backward compatible with UFS 3.1.

The PC master race has yielded many interesting activities for enthusiasts alike, with perhaps the pinnacle of activities being overclocking. Usually, subjects for overclocking include CPUs, GPUs, and RAM, with other components not actually being capable of overclocking. However, the enthusiast force never seems to settle, and today, we have proof of overclocking an off-the-shelf 2.5-inch SATA III NAND Flash SSD thanks to Gabriel Ferraz, a Computer Engineering graduate, and TechPowerUp's SSD database maintainer. He uses the RZX Pro 256 GB SSD in the video, a generic NAND Flash drive. The RZX Pro uses the Silicon Motion SM2259XT2 single-core, 32-bit ARC CPU running up to 550 MHz. It has two channels at 400 MHz, each with eight chip enable interconnects, allowing up to 16 NAND Flash dies to operate. The SSD doesn't feature a DRAM cache or support a host memory buffer. It has only one NAND Flash memory chip from Kioxia, uses BiCS FLASH 4 architecture, has 96 layers, and has 256 GB capacity.

While this NAND Flash die is rated for up to 400 MHz or 800 MT/s, it only ran at less than half the speed at 193.75 MHz or 387.5 MT/s at default settings. Gabriel acquired a SATA III to USB 3.0 adapter with a JMS578 bridge chip to perform the overclock. This adapter allows hot swapping of SSDs without the need to turn off the PC. He shorted two terminals in the drive's PCB to get the SSD to operate without its default safe mode. Mass Production Tools (MPTools), which OEMs use to flash SSDs, were used to change the firmware settings. Each NAND Flash architecture has its own special version of MPTools. The software directly shows control of the Flash clock, CPU clock, and output driving. However, additional tweaks like Flash IO driving with subdivisions need modifications. Control and Flash On-Die Termination (ODT) and Schmitt window trigger (referring to the Schmitt trigger comparator circuit) also needed a few modifications to make it work.

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.

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced sampling of new, higher performing JEDEC e-MMC Ver. 5.1-compliant embedded flash memory products for consumer applications. The new products integrate a newer version of the company's BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and a controller in a single package, reducing processor workload and improving ease of use. Both 64 and 128 gigabytes (GB) products will be available.

As the market continues to shift to UFS, there are cases where e-MMC may still be used. This includes consumer products with mid-range storage requirements such as tablets, personal computers, point of sale devices and other portable handheld devices, as well as smart TVs and smart NICs. Kioxia continues to reinforce its market-leading position by delivering a broad, high-performance product lineup and expanding the available options for these applications.

KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced the addition of the KIOXIA CD8P Series to its lineup of data center-class solid state drives (SSDs). KIOXIA CD8P drives are well-suited to general purpose server and cloud environments that can take advantage of PCIe 5.0 (32 gigatransfers/s x4) performance. These data center applications can generate complex mixed workloads spread across large scale virtualized systems. The new drives are available in capacities up to 30.72 terabytes (TB) and in both Enterprise and Data Center Standard Form Factor (EDSFF) E3.S and 2.5-inch (U.2) form factors.

Optimized for the performance, latency, reduced power and thermal requirements of data center environments where power and cooling efficiency is critical, the KIOXIA CD8P Series provides the predictability and consistency needed for a seamless user experience. According to Jeff Janukowicz, Research Vice President, IDC, "Growth in NVMe SSDs continues with PCIe capacity shipments in servers and storage systems expected to grow at a 40% CAGR between 2022 and 2027. The new CD8P Series SSDs gives these customers the range of performance, capacity, and security choices essential for meeting the storage requirements of next-generation digital enterprise and data center infrastructure."

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced new consumer SSDs scheduled to be released in the third quarter of 2023. The EXCERIA PLUS G3 Series will leverage PCIe 4.0 technology and offer up to 2 terabytes (TB) of capacity. The new series is well-suited to mainstream users of high performance gaming PCs, desktops and notebooks, bringing the speed and affordability that they require. The EXCERIA PLUS G3 Series, which is a product under development, will be on reference exhibit at COMPUTEX TAIPEI from May 30 to June 2 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.

Featuring Kioxia's BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory TLC (Triple-Level-Cell), the EXCERIA PLUS G3 Series utilizes an M.2 2280 type single-sided form factor suitable for both desktops and mobile systems. The new drives will also support Kioxia's SSD Utility Management Software, which assists users with SSD monitoring and maintenance.

KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced the addition of the BG6 Series to its lineup of PCIe 4.0 solid state drives (SSDs) - the first product to feature the company's new, 6th generation BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and almost 1.7 times the performance of its predecessor. Designed to unleash the increased speeds and affordability of PCIe 4.0 for PC users, the powerful and compact KIOXIA BG6 Series client SSDs offer a discrete M.2 2230 form factor with higher capacities and improved power efficiency. M.2 2280 single-sided form factor versions are also available.

The KIOXIA BG6 Series unlocks back-end flash performance while maintaining affordability and increasing capacity, making it an especially attractive option for commercial and consumer notebooks and desktops. KIOXIA BG6 drives support the fully matured Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology, which utilizes part of the host memory (DRAM) as if it were its own, to realize a DRAM-less, high-performance SSD.

Demonstrating continued innovation, Kioxia Corporation and Western Digital Corp. today announced details of their newest 3D flash memory technology. Applying advanced scaling and wafer bonding technologies, the 3D flash memory delivers exceptional capacity, performance and reliability at a compelling cost, which makes it ideal for meeting the needs of exponential data growth across a broad range of market segments.

"The new 3D flash memory demonstrates the benefits of our strong partnership with Kioxia and our combined innovation leadership," said Alper Ilkbahar, Senior Vice President of Technology & Strategy at Western Digital. "By working with one common R&D roadmap and continued investment in R&D, we have been able to productize this fundamental technology ahead of schedule and deliver high-performance, capital-efficient solutions."

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation ("Silicon Motion"), a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, today announced the SM2268XT, its latest high-performance PCIe Gen 4 SSD controller solution optimized for higher speed NAND transfer rates. The SM2268XT's superior performance and robust reliability allows customers to accelerate development of next-generation SSDs using current and future TLC and QLC 3D NAND flash with comprehensive data integrity and correction without compromising throughput and latency.

The SM2268XT features a dual-core ARM R8 CPU with four lanes of 16 Gb/s PCIe data flow and supports four NAND channels with up to 3,200 MT/s per channel, enabling designers to take advantage of higher throughput next-generation high-speed TLC and QLC 3D NAND flash. Its multi-core design automatically balances the compute load to deliver industry-leading sequential read and write speeds of 7,400 MB/s & 6,500 MB/s, and random read & write speed of 1,200K IOPS. In addition, its advanced architecture enables lower power consumption and rigorous data protection, providing high performance and reliability in a cost-effective DRAM-less PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD solution.

KIOXIA is betting big on enterprise flash storage, and demoed several of its new and already-launched NVMe products based on the company's 162-layer 3D NAND flash memory, aka 6th Generation BiCS flash. Starting off, we see several single-chip solutions, namely the BiCS5 eTLC, the BiCS Industial TLC, and the BiCS5-QLC. These are complete NVMe SSDs on a single package, targeting embedded systems, industrial PCs, and the likes. They can even be directly embedded on server motherboards to serve as boot drives, freeing up precious chassis space for the main storage devices.

The EM6 is an enterprise network-attached SSD in a 2.5-inch form-factor. This is a NAS-on-a-stick that can be deployed at large scale, and accessible as a network resource, or as an NVMe-over-Fiber device. The CM7 is a high-capacity 2.5-inch (EDSFF E3.S) SSD that comes in sizes of up to 30 TB, and has PCI-Express 5.0 x4 interface with NVMe 2.0 protocol, with endurance of up to 3 DWPD and offering FIPS 140-33 security. We also see the XD6 line of EDSFF E1.S form-factor NVMe SSDs with PCIe 4.0 interfaces, up to 3.84 TB capacity, and 1 DWPD endurance.

This week at CES 2023, KIOXIA America, Inc., the inventors of NAND flash, will highlight new technologies, products, and form factors designed to meet upcoming IT requirements and standards - including PCIe 5.0 and UFS 4.0.

In an ever-changing technology landscape, where evolving standards push performance levels higher and higher, KIOXIA stands ready for what comes next - thanks to its broad, diverse lineup of flash storage solutions. "Whether it's the next connected vehicle, the next personal mobility device or the next smart city - we keep advancing flash memory to make the next thing possible," said Alex Mei, vice president of corporate marketing for KIOXIA America, Inc. "Countless consumer devices and applications require flash memory and SSDs, and we are committed to continued innovation."

Team Group, the global leader in industrial memory modules, launches the brand's first industrial grade PCIe Gen4x4 M.2 2280 SSD, P845-M80. With the adoption of the ultra-fast Gen 4 x4 interface, it delivers an exceptional reading/writing performance for a large data amount. Equipped with BiCS 5 112-layer 3D NAND flash memory, it is a highly cost-competitive solution that accelerates the development of biomedical innovation and digital medicine applications. P845-M80 comes in a maximum capacity of 2 TB and meets the NVMe 2.0 standards. Its bandwidth and data transmission speed are twice that of its predecessor PCIe Gen3, making it even more ideal for the transmission of large amounts of data. Meanwhile, its 3K P/E cycles make it the best memory solution in both performance and durability.

In the wake of the global pandemic, science and digital medicine is rapidly on the rise in innovative biomedical fields. In response to the significant increase in the demand for high-performance image processing and stable storage, Team Group introduces the PCIe Gen 4 x4 industrial grade SSD with the adoption of an 8-channel controller and optional patented graphene and aluminium fin heat dissipation technologies. It effectively reduces the thermal energy generated from high-speed reading and writing and maintains system stability. The patented graphene heat dissipation technology (US invention patent number: US 110,513,92 B2 / Taiwan invention patent number: I703921) features a small volume and agility in application, suitable for machines of smaller sizes. Whereas, the patented aluminium fin heat dissipation technology (Taiwan utility model patent number: M541645) enables maximum heat dissipation and prolongs product service life. Both technologies are novel options for biomedical innovators, offering stability, high speed, and low latency.

Furthering its mission to address future enterprise infrastructure requirements, KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced that it has expanded its broad portfolio of client, enterprise and data center SSDs with the addition of the XD7P Series. Designed for hyperscale and general server applications in the new Enterprise and Data Center Standard Form Factor (EDSFF) E1.S form factor, XD7P drives are the second generation of E1.S SSDs with Open Compute Project (OCP) Data Center NVMe SSD 2.0 specification support from KIOXIA, following its XD6 series. KIOXIA XD7P drives are now sampling to select data center customers.

"Hyperscale needs of density, power, performance and serviceability are driving PCIe 5.0, E1.S, as a form factor, and the OCP Data Center NVMe SSD specification V2.0 for the data center," said Ross Stenfort, hardware storage engineer, Meta. "The KIOXIA XD7P Series SSD supports these storage technologies to enable the next generation of hyperscale needs."

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced the industry's first 2 terabyte (TB) microSDXC memory card working prototypes. Using its innovative BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and an in-house designed controller, basic functions of the KIOXIA 2 TB microSDXC UHS-I memory card working prototypes were confirmed in the microSDXC standard's maximum density.

As the data recording capacity of smartphones, action cameras, and portable game consoles continues to increase, the need for ultra-high capacity SD memory cards to store all of this data has never been higher. The SD Association's SDXC specification has supported memory cards up to 2 TB for more than a decade—but 2 TB cards have not been successfully manufactured until now.

KIOXIA America, Inc. has introduced new Industrial Grade flash memory devices. This new lineup utilizes the latest generation KIOXIA BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory with 3-bit-per-cell (triple-level cell, TLC) technology, and is available in a 132-BGA package. Densities range from 512 gigabits (64 gigabytes) to 4 terabits (512 gigabytes) to support the unique requirements of industrial applications - including telecommunication, networking, embedded computing and much more.

The storage requirements for many industrial applications stand in stark contrast to those of SSDs designed to be housed in climate-controlled data centers - including the need for extended temperature ranges and the ability to maintain high reliability and performance in rugged operating conditions. Designed with these needs in mind, the new KIOXIA devices support a wide temperature range (-40°C to +85°C) and offer suitable products for the industrial market.

KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced that it has begun sampling the latest generation of its JEDEC e-MMC Ver. 5.1-compliant embedded flash memory products for consumer applications. The new products are available in capacities of 64 and 128 gigabytes (GB) and integrate the company's BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and a controller in a single package.

Demand for mid-range capacities in consumer products such as tablets and IoT devices continues to grow, and though the market continues to shift to UFS, there are cases where e-MMC may still be used. The new KIOXIA e-MMC devices expand the available options. A leading provider of flash memory and storage for consumer applications and mobile devices, KIOXIA has been supporting e-MMC since 2007 and was the first supplier to introduce the higher performance follow-on solution to e-MMC, UFS, in early 2013. Today, the broad KIOXIA lineup of e-MMC and UFS solutions provides support across a wide range of densities (4 GB-1 TB).

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.

Last week, Micron revealed its NAND flash plans and so did Western Digital during its investors day. The different NAND flash manufacturers use similar, but far from identical ways to manufacture their NAND flash and WD is working together with Kioxia and the two are using a process called bit column stacked or BiCS NAND. This year the two companies will move to its sixth generation of BiCS NAND which is stacking 162-layers of NAND flash. Most of their competitors are already at 176-layer stacks, although WD and Kioxia still deliver the same capacity NAND chips as its competitors. WD claims that their die size is smaller than the competition, which could be an advantage due to more dies per wafer.

In its presentation, WD listed a single wafer capacity of 100 TB, which is an increase from around 70 TB per wafer in 2020. Although it's not something we can verify, WD claims to have the world's best charge trap cell, which the company claims leads to higher performance compared to its competitors. The slide provided by WD claims a 20 MB/s lead of the competition at 60 MB/s vs. 40 MB/s. Although Western Digital and Kioxia claim to have to invest less to increase their capacity, it would appear that they're behind the competition when it comes to the amount of layers they can stack. The two are only planning what they call BiCS+ at over 200-layers for 2024, which is well over a year behind Micron. The roadmap stretches all the way to 2032, when we should apparently be seeing 500-layer NAND flash, assuming everything goes according to plan. The first BiCS+ NAND will be for datacenter products and WD claims that their first product should see a 60 percent increase in transfer speeds, a 15 percent increase in program bandwidth and a 55 percent increase in bit growth per wafer over the current BiCS6 NAND.

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.

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced that it has started sampling new Automotive Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Ver. 3.1 embedded flash memory devices. The new line-up utilizes the company's BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and is available in capacities from 64 gigabytes (GB) to 512 GB to support the various requirements of evolving automotive applications that elevate driver experiences.

The storage requirement for automotive applications continue to increase as infotainment systems and ADAS in cars become more sophisticated. UFS is well-suited to support the high-performance and density needs of these applications. The new devices support a wide temperature range (-40°C to +105°C), meet AEC-Q100 Grade 2 requirements and offer enhanced reliability capabilities that increasingly complex automotive applications require.

KIOXIA America, Inc., today announced that it is sampling its 2nd generation PCIe 5.0 SSD for enterprise and data center customers. After being the first vendor to offer a drive using the PCIe 5.0 interface, KIOXIA has now introduced the new CD8 Series data center NVMe SSD family. CD8 SSDs double the bandwidth per lane over PCIe 4.0 SSDs from 16 gigatransfers per second (GT/s) to 32GT/s and are optimized for hyperscale data center and enterprise server-attached workloads.

"Today, PCIe 4.0 SSDs are considered at the forefront in terms of delivering the highest levels of drive performance," commented Greg Wong, founder and principal analyst, Forward Insights. "Next generation PCIe 5.0 SSDs provide twice the level of performance, and will continue to propel the PCIe/NVMe SSD market - which is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 20% out to 2026."

Continuing to lead the way forward for UFS technology, KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced sampling of the industry's first Universal Flash Storage (UFS)3 embedded flash memory devices supporting MIPI M-PHY v5.04. The new lineup utilizes the company's BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and is available in three capacities: 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB. The new devices deliver high speed read and write performance and are targeted to a variety of mobile applications, including leading-edge smartphones.

The new KIOXIA devices are next-generation UFS (MIPI M-PHY 5.0), which has a theoretical interface speed of up to 23.2 Gbps per lane (x2 lanes = 46.4 Gpbs) in HS-GEAR mode. Sequential read and write performance of the 256 GB device is improved by approximately 90 percent and 70 percent, respectively, over previous generation devices. Also, random read and write performance of the 256 GB device is improved by approximately 35 percent and 60 percent, respectively, over previous generation devices. This next generation of UFS provides significant increases in performance, enabling next-generation smartphones and other products to enhance their capabilities and end user experiences in the 5G era and beyond.

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced the launch of Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Ver. 3.1 [1] embedded flash memory devices utilizing the company's innovative 4-bit per cell quad-level-cell (QLC) technology. For applications needing high density, such as cutting-edge smartphones, Kioxia's QLC technology enables the capability to achieve the highest densities available in a single package.

Kioxia's UFS proof of concept (PoC) device is a 512 gigabyte prototype that utilizes the company's 1 terabit (128 gigabyte) BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory with QLC technology, and is now sampling to OEM customers. The PoC device is designed to meet the increasing performance and density requirements of mobile applications driven by higher resolution images, 5G networks, 4K plus video and the like.

TechPowerUp partnered with NAND flash pioneer KIOXIA to give you a chance to bring home one of three KIOXIA Exceria series SSDs. Based on the company's BiCS 3D NAND flash technology, the Exceria series spans various client SSD form-factors, including M.2 NVMe and 2.5-inch SATA. The brand also extends to the company's various consumer flash products, including portable SSDs, USB flash drives, and memory cards. Up for grabs in the TechPowerUp Giveaway were a 2 TB Exceria Plus G2 NVMe SSD, a 1 TB Exceria NVMe SSD, and a 960 GB Exceria SATA 2.5-inch SSD. The results are in, and we have the winners!

• Martin from Malta, wins the 2 TB Exceria Plus G2 NVMe SSD
• Pari from New Zealand, wins the 1 TB Exceria NVMe SSD
• Paul from the United Kingdom, wins the 960 GB Exceria SATA 2.5-inch SSD

A huge Congratulations to you three! TechPowerUp and KIOXIA will return with more such interesting giveaways.