Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced it has begun mass-producing PM9E1, a PCIe 5.0 SSD with the industry's highest performance and largest capacity. Built on its in-house 5-nanometer (nm)-based controller and eighth-generation V-NAND (V8) technology, the PM9E1 will provide powerful performance and enhanced power efficiency, making it an optimal solution for on-device AI PCs. Key attributes in SSDs, including performance, storage capacity, power efficiency and security, have all been improved compared to its predecessor (PM9A1a).

"Our PM9E1 integrated with a 5 nm controller delivers industry-leading power efficiency and utmost performance validated by our key partners," said YongCheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning at Samsung Electronics. "In the rapidly growing on-device AI era, Samsung's PM9E1 will offer a robust foundation for global customers to effectively plan their AI portfolios."

addlink Technology, a leader in digital storage innovation, proudly announces the launch of its advanced M.2 Gen 5 SSD series, the G55 and G55H. Designed for AI professionals, gamers, and hardware enthusiasts, these SSDs promise to transform your storage experience. Achieve blazing speeds up to 10,300 MB/s with the G55 and G55H Gen 5 x4 SSDs, powered by a low-power TSMC 7 nm process controller. Offering performance 50% faster than Gen 4 and up to 20 times faster than SATA SSDs, these drives are fully optimized for the latest Intel and AMD Gen 5 platforms.

The G55H is equipped with a premium heatsink to ensure consistent peak performance without throttling. Its slim 8.75 mm profile guarantees compatibility with most PCs and the PlayStation 5, providing unparalleled performance without compromise. The G55 features an ultraslim 2.3 mm design with high-density flash memory on one side, using 50% less power than other Gen 5 x4 SSDs. This makes it perfect for professionals who require high performance on the go without overheating or sacrificing battery life.

ProGrade Digital, founded with a mission to provide the highest quality professional grade digital memory cards and workflow solutions, announces its new solid state drive (SSD) product line available in a 2 TB, 4 TB, and 8 TB capacities. The PG10 Pro SSD is based on the latest USB 4.0 technology which is designed to achieve speeds of up to 40Gbits/sec and provides a real-world read and write speed of up to 2500 MB/s, and a sustained write speed of 1500 MB/s (2 TB) and 2000 MB/s (4 TB and 8 TB) with no cache depletion. The PG10 is also equipped with ProGrade's patented magnetic base and comes with an adhesive metal plate that allows users to mount the reader to any work surface. The new SSD is also supplied with a high-quality certified USB 4.0 cable - assuring the maximum performance possible.

"ProGrade Digital is embarking into a new category of professional SSDs (Solid State Drives) with a product offering that aligns with all of the core values of our brand," said Wes Brewer, founder, and CEO of ProGrade Digital. "We have recognized for years that there is an opportunity to expand further into the professional workflow with a high capacity, high performance SSD but were waiting for just the right time to enter with a truly new and defining product that offers unique features and value. Our introduction of capacity points from 2 TB to 8 TB, and a USB 4.0/Thunderbolt 4 interface, allows us to provide industry-leading sustained performance and reliability for professionals that have traditionally had to settle for much slower and less reliable solutions. Our uniquely designed housing and internal heat-sink provide unmatched sustained write and read speeds ideal for long, multi-TB data file transfers".

Memory and SSD maker Crucial noticed an uptick in support requests by users claiming that their Gen 5 or Gen 4 NVMe SSDs would drop to PCIe Gen 1 speeds, besides being unable to boot into Windows after a restart. Crucial then did some digging, and localized the issue to users with motherboards based on the AMD X670E chipset, AMD's flagship Socket AM5 platform chipset. While not a function of the chipset itself, it turns out that there is a flaw in the way AMD designed the PCI-Express I/O of the X670E platform, specifically the PCIe Gen 5-capable M.2 NVMe interfaces that are attached to the CPU, causing them to drop in speeds to Gen 1. This problem isn't surfacing on the AMD B650 or the B650E, or even the X670—it is oddly specific to the X670E, despite the Gen 5 M.2 NVMe slots not being wired to the chipset.

While AMD made no public statement on the technical aspect of the flaw, if we were to guess, this could be a faulty implementation of PCIe ASPM (active state power management) at the firmware level, which reduces the speed of the PCIe link layer to reduce power. The default setting for PCIe ASPM in most motherboard UEFI setup programs tends to be "disabled," although there could be a bug in the firmware of X670E motherboards, causing it to engage, and in a buggy manner. Most UEFI BIOS setup programs tend to have two separate sets of PCIe ASPM settings—one for the CPU-attached PCIe root (which includes the x16 PEG and CPU-attached NVMe slots), and the other for downstream PCIe connectivity from the chipset.

Western Digital made a significant change to the way it sells its products, which sees the SanDisk brand return to prominence. The company spun out SanDisk.com as a separate website, with product information, support, and in select regions, online retail, of all its NAND flash-based products, including SSDs, memory cards, USB flash drives, etc. Meanwhile, its main website, WesternDigital.com, now only lists out non-flash products, such as hard disk drives (HDDs), NAS, and other enterprise hardware such as rackmount DAS or NAS.

The decision splits WD's portfolio vertically, regardless of market. SanDisk now includes both client- and enterprise flash-based products, while Western Digital covers both enterprise, SMB, and client HDDs, including HDDs with gamer centric WD_Black branding. Meanwhile, the SanDisk website includes all of Western Digital's flash-based products, including SSDs and portable SSDs that retain the Western Digital brand. So, the easiest way to understand this split would be: if it has disks that spin, find them on WesternDigital.com, and if it's solid-state, find it on SanDisk.com.

GIGABYTE Technology, one of the top global manufacturers of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, unveils cutting-edge AMD X870E/X870 motherboards. Designed with AI accelerated performance boost, premium thermal management, next-generation memory optimization, intuitive DIY-friendly features, state-of-the-art BIOS technology, GIGABYTE X870E/X870 motherboards maximize the capabilities of the latest AMD Ryzen 9000 series processors and power the gaming performance for AI era.

AORUS AI SNATCH
GIGABYTE X870E/X870 lineup boasts the innovative AORUS AI SNATCH, which can unleash ultimate performance with simple one click. Powered by an AI engine, the memory and system performance can be boosted with improved multitasking and overall system responsiveness. Users can overclock like an expert in a snap through simple interface while enjoy smart and safe overclocking. The AI processing is accelerated as well for better performance with optimal power efficiency.

Micron Technology, Inc. today announced results for its fourth quarter and full year of fiscal 2024, which ended August 29, 2024.

Fiscal Q4 2024 highlights

• Revenue of $7.75 billion versus $6.81 billion for the prior quarter and $4.01 billion for the same period last year
• GAAP net income of $887 million, or $0.79 per diluted share
• Non-GAAP net income of $1.34 billion, or $1.18 per diluted share
• Operating cash flow of $3.41 billion versus $2.48 billion for the prior quarter and $249 million for the same period last year

Fiscal 2024 highlights

• Revenue of $25.11 billion versus $15.54 billion for the prior year
• GAAP net income of $778 million, or $0.70 per diluted share
• Non-GAAP net income of $1.47 billion, or $1.30 per diluted share
• Operating cash flow of $8.51 billion versus $1.56 billion for the prior year

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced the release of the 990 EVO Plus, adding to its lineup of leading SSD products. With PCIe 4.0 support and latest NAND technology, the 990 EVO Plus is an ideal solution for consumers seeking enhanced performance and power efficiency on their PCs. Optimized for gaming, business and creative endeavors.

"Our daily lives are increasingly demanding more data with the images we share on social media and high-quality video streaming," said Hangu Sohn, Vice President of Memory Brand Product Biz Team at Samsung Electronics. "The 990 EVO Plus is built for laptop and desktop PC users seeking faster processing speeds and expanded storage capacity."

UnifyDrive, a leading global brand in network-attached storage (NAS), has announced their latest portable storage device, the UnifyDrive UT2. This groundbreaking personal NAS combines the power and versatility of traditional NAS with the convenience of portability, offering unmatched data management and backup capabilities.

The UnifyDrive UT2 is designed for creatives, professionals, travelers and photography enthusiasts who need high-performance, portable data storage. With its pocket-sized form, the UT2 integrates the functionality of a NAS, backup system, media server, Blu-ray player, and portable storage device into one compact unit. This versatility allows users to manage, access, and protect their data effortlessly, whether at the office, at home, or on the move.

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

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

KLEVV, the premier consumer memory and storage brand introduced by Essencore, is keen to unveil the all-new GENUINE G560 PCIe Gen5x4 NVMe M.2 SSD and CRAS C715 PCIe Gen3x4 NVMe M.2 SSD. Strategically named for its raw, unrivaled performance, the GENUINE G560 PCIe Gen5x4 NVMe M.2 SSD offers top-of-the-line hardware and cutting-edge storage technology packed into a highly refined product.

As KLEVV's first-ever PCIe Gen 5 SSD, it boasts exceptional speeds with sequential read and write capabilities of up to 14,000 MB/s and 12,000 MB/s, respectively. Alongside an impressive 4K random IOPS of up to 1,400K, the GENUINE G560 sets a new standard in advanced storage solutions. Engineered with a revolutionary 23x-layer 3D NAND, the GENUINE G560 delivers unparalleled efficiency and reliability, ideal for professional gamers, content creators, and casual use.

Transcend Information Inc. (Transcend), a global leader in industrial memory storage, is proud to announce its first industrial-grade PCIe M.2 22110 SSD, the MTE730P. This SSD features Power Loss Protection (PLP) technology, ensuring robust data integrity even in the most demanding environments. With PCIe Gen 4 performance and capacities of up to 4 TB, the MTE730P meets the needs of high-end industrial automation, blade servers, data centers, and other modern storage applications.

Power Loss Protection: Create Higher Data Integrity
The MTE730P's Power Loss Protection (PLP) technology is a critical feature for applications such as automated manufacturing, medical systems, transportation systems, and financial transaction. It ensures that the built-in tantalum capacitors provide power to the controller and DRAM cache during power fluctuations or outages, guaranteeing maximum data integrity and security.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced it has begun mass producing PM9E1, a PCle 5.0 SSD with the industry's highest performance and largest capacity. Built on its in-house 5-nanometer (nm)-based controller and eighth-generation V-NAND (V8) technology, the PM9E1 will provide powerful performance and enhanced power efficiency, making it an optimal solution for on-device AI PCs. Key attributes in SSDs, including performance, storage capacity, power efficiency and security, have all been improved compared to its predecessor (PM9A1a).

"Our PM9E1 integrated with a 5 nm controller delivers industry-leading power efficiency and utmost performance validated by our key partners," said YongCheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning at Samsung Electronics. "In the rapidly growing on-device AI era, Samsung's PM9E1 will offer a robust foundation for global customers to effectively plan their AI portfolios."

TerraMaster, a leading brand in home and enterprise storage solutions, has recently announced the launch of 9 new NAS models, all equipped with its latest TOS 6 operating system. This lineup includes two 8-bay all-flash NAS models specifically designed for high-performance needs. All new products were officially launched on September 19, 2024, on the TerraMaster official website and various global e-commerce platforms.

Comprehensive Range
The new TerraMaster product series covers a wide spectrum of users, from individual consumers and SMBs to high-end devices for business and enterprise sectors, fully addressing different needs.

SMART Modular Technologies, Inc. ("SMART"), a division of SGH and a global leader in memory solutions, solid-state drives, and advanced memory, announces a proprietary technology to mitigate the adverse impact of single event upsets (SEUs) in high-reliability flash-memory based systems. SMART Modular's MP3000 NVMe SSD products with SEU mitigation reduce annual failure rates from as high as 17.5k/Mu (million units) to less than 10/Mu and can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential service costs by helping to ensure hundreds of hours of uninterrupted uptime, especially important for tough-to-repair remote deployments.

"Our industry standard SATA and PCIe NVMe boot drives can slash annual failure rates by as much 99.7% by recovering from soft errors due to single event upsets," states Satya Iyer, SMART's vice president of specialty memory. "In networking and telecom applications in remote and hard-to-service locations, SEU mitigation and the ability to recover from soft errors can make the difference for systems that require 24/7 uptime."

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced the availability of the Crucial P310 2280 Gen 4 NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), which offers two times faster performance than Gen 3 SSDs and 40% faster performance than Crucial's P3 Plus, giving gamers, students and creatives a boost in speed when they boot and use data-intensive applications. With capacities up to 2 terabytes (TB) and read and write speeds of 7,100 and 6,000 megabytes per second (MB/s) respectively, the P310 2280 SSD enables more customers than ever to gain access to gaming performance without paying gaming prices. This launch expands Micron's P310 portfolio to address PCs, laptops and PlayStation 5, closely following the July launch of its award-winning Crucial P310 2230 SSD, which is targeted at users of handheld gaming consoles and mini PCs.

"Micron's Crucial P310 2280 SSD delivers blazing fast gaming-level speeds, allowing users to do it all faster — from gaming to booting Windows to running multiple creative apps at the same time — without compromising on quality," said Jonathan Weech, senior director of product marketing for Micron's Commercial Products Group. "Architected with our advanced 3D NAND technology and optimized to deliver the utmost power efficiency, the 2280 SSD empowers everyone from gamers to creatives to squeeze more out of their battery life when using data-rich apps."

The first reviews of Silicon Motion's new PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD controller, the SM2508 are starting to appear online, and the good news is that the controller is as power efficient as promised by the company. Tom's hardware has put up their review of a reference design M.2 SSD from Silicon Motion and in their testing, equipped with 1 TB of Kioxia's 162-layer BiCS6 TLC NAND. It easily bests the competition when it comes to power efficiency. In their file copy test, it draws nearly two watts less than its nearest competitor and as much as three watts less than the most power hungry drive. It's still using about one watt more than the best PCIe 4.0 drives, but it goes to show that the production nodes matters, as the SM2508 is produced on a 6 nm node, compared to 12 nm for Phison's E26.

We should point out that the peak power consumption did go over nine watts, but only one of the Phison E26 drives managed to stay below 10 watts here. The most power hungry PCIe 5.0 SSD controller in the test, the InnoGrit IG5666 peaks at nearly 14 watts for comparison. Idle power consumption of the SM2508 is also very good, still drawing more than the PCIe 4.0 drives it was tested against, but far less than any of the other PCIe 5.0 drives. What about performance you ask? The reference drive places itself ahead of all the Phison E26 drives when it comes to sequential file transfers, regardless if it's to or from the drive. Random read IOPS also places right at the top, but it's somewhat behind when it comes to random writes, without being a slow drive by any means. Overall we're looking at a very promising new SSD controller from Silicon Motion with the SM2508 and TPU has also received a sample that is currently undergoing testing, so expect a review here soon.

TrendForce's latest reports reveal that the second quarter of 2024 saw a significant increase in demand for enterprise SSDs due to the increased deployment of NVIDIA GPU platforms and rising storage needs driven by AI applications, along with a surge in demand from server brands. The surge in demand for high-capacity SSDs for AI applications—coupled with suppliers' inability to adjust capacity in the first half of the year—resulted in a supply shortage that drove average enterprise SSD prices up by more than 25% QoQ. This price increase led to a revenue growth of over 50% for suppliers.

Looking ahead to the third quarter, demand from North American CSP customers continues to rise, and server brands show no signs of slowing down their orders, further boosting procurement volumes of enterprise SSD. With supply shortages persisting into the third quarter, TrendForce forecasts a 15% increase in contract prices compared to the previous quarter, with supplier revenues expected to grow by nearly 20%.

Other World Computing (OWC), a trusted leader in delivering high-performance, secure, and sustainable technology solutions that enhance and extend the life of Macs and PCs, today announced the launch of the Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 SSD - ready for pre-order today (shipping in October). Designed to maximize the performance of Mac and PC devices with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4 Thunderbolt 3, and USB4, this groundbreaking SSD sets a new benchmark with revolutionary speeds exceeding 6000 MB/s—making it up to twice as fast as Thunderbolt 4 and USB4.

"Intel's innovative Thunderbolt 5 technology sets a new standard for performance and simple connectivity, and OWC's Envoy Ultra SSD is a perfect example of how this technology can be harnessed to meet the needs of today's most demanding users," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing (OWC). "OWC continues to push the boundaries of what's possible, delivering a solution that not only leverages the full potential of Thunderbolt 5 but also opens up new possibilities for professionals and creatives alike."

Iodyne, a company dedicated to providing Pro users with the best technology, announced its Pro Mini external solid-state drive sporting unique features like the dual AirJet cooling system. This technology allows the drive to maintain sustained performance without the thermal throttling that plagues other portable SSDs. The Pro Mini can deliver speeds of 3 GB/s, up to two times the sustained throughput of standard professional SSDs, even with active encryption and internal RAID protection.

The drive features a triple-anodized machined aluminum chassis and hardened glass protection with a customizable 2.1" E-paper display. Offered with 4 TB or 8 TB capacities, the iodyne Pro Mini offers versatile connectivity, including a bus-powered USB-C port that automatically detects the connection type and adjusts its speed accordingly, supporting up to 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt connections. Security is another point where this product stands out with the use of Passkeys instead of passwords, along with enterprise-grade encryption and hardware-accelerated RAID-6 data protection. The Pro Mini also incorporates an integrated Bluetooth beacon for location tracking.

SK hynix Inc. announced today that it has developed PEB110 E1.S (PEB110), a high-performance solid-state drive (SSD) for data centers. With the advent of the AI era, customer demand for high-performance NAND solutions such as SSDs for data centers, as well as ultra-fast DRAM chips including high bandwidth memory (HBM), is growing. In line with this trend, the company has developed and introduced a new product with improved data processing speed and power efficiency by applying the fifth-generation (Gen 5) PCIe specifications.

SK hynix expects to meet diverse customer needs with a more robust SSD portfolio following successful mass production of PS1010 with the introduction of PEB110. The company is currently in the qualification process with a global data center customer and plans to begin mass production of the product in the second quarter of next year, pending qualification. PCle Gen 5, applied to the new product, provides twice the bandwidth of the fourth generation (Gen 4), enabling PEB110 to achieve data transfer rates of up to 32 gigatransfers per second (GT/s). This enables PEB110 to double the performance of the previous generation and improve power efficiency by more than 30%.

Over the last four years since the launch of PS5, we've worked hard to continuously evolve the console experience and deliver the great games our players expect from us. Today, I'm incredibly proud to announce the next step in that evolution and welcome PlayStation 5 Pro to the PlayStation family - our most advanced and innovative console hardware to date.

We developed PS5 Pro with deeply engaged players and game creators in mind - as many have asked for a console that runs even higher fidelity graphics with smoother frame rates at 60 FPS. We achieved this on PS5 Pro with several key performance features.

• Upgraded GPU: With PS5 Pro, we are upgrading to a GPU that has 67% more Compute Units than the current PS5 console and 28% faster memory. Overall, this enables up to 45% faster rendering for gameplay, making the experience much smoother.
• Advanced Ray Tracing: We've added even more powerful ray tracing that provides more dynamic reflection and refraction of light. This allows the rays to be cast at double, and at times triple, the speeds of the current PS5 console.
• AI-Driven Upscaling: We're also introducing PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, an AI-driven upscaling that uses a machine learning-based technology to provide super sharp image clarity by adding an extraordinary amount of detail.

TrendForce reports that NAND Flash prices continued to rise in 2Q24 as server inventory adjustments neared completion and AI spurred demand for high-capacity storage products. However, high inventory levels among PC and smartphone buyers led to a 1% QoQ decline in NAND Flash bit shipments. Despite this, ASP increased by 15% and drove total revenue to US$16.796 billion, a 14.2% growth compared to the previous quarter.

All NAND Flash suppliers returned to profitability starting in the second quarter and are expanding capacity in the third quarter to meet strong demand from AI and server markets. However, weaker-than-expected PC and smartphone sales in the first half of the year are likely to constrain NAND Flash shipment growth.

Polish computer memory brand Goodram is launching a new external SSD called the HX200. Thanks to its parameters, the drive will interest a wide range of users, from mobile professionals to gadget lovers and those who store gigabytes of data in the form of photos, videos and documents.

With its unique colour, the drive will appeal to female users who appreciate style and elegance in their daily use of technology. The launch of the HX200 is manufacturer's next step towards providing innovative solutions combining functionality and aesthetics.

Durabook, the global rugged mobile solutions brand owned by Twinhead International Corporation, today announced significant updates to its S14I semi-rugged laptop, expanding its product line supporting modern-day data-intensive tasks. With the performance of Intel Core Ultra processor, this AI-powered 14" semi-rugged laptop exceeds expectations by delivering a powerful, premium performance and exceptional user experience.

Durabook also produces the Z14I fully rugged laptop, the world's most durable and reliable fully rugged PC designed specifically to support demanding AI applications in the field. Twinhead's CEO, Fred Kao, said: "AI technology has emerged as an important tool to handle and maximise data and create new, more capable and powerful systems. Durabook aims to equip our mobile computing devices with optimum capability for professional users in the field. Our customers can exploit these advancements to their advantage and greatest benefit with laptop solutions delivering up to 100 TOPS with AI accelerator."