Intel Corp. and Lightbits Labs today announced an agreement to propel development of disaggregated storage solutions to solve the challenges of today's data center operators who are craving improved total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) due to stranded disk capacity and performance. This strategic partnership includes technical co-engineering, go-to-market collaboration and an Intel Capital investment in Lightbits Labs. Lightbits' LightOS product delivers high-performance shared storage across servers while providing high availability and read-and-write management designed to maximize the value of flash-based storage. LightOS, while being fully optimized for Intel hardware, provides customers with vastly improved storage efficiency and reduces underutilization while maintaining compatibility with existing infrastructure without compromising performance and simplicity.

Lightbits Labs will enhance its composable disaggregated software-defined storage solution, LightOS, for Intel technologies, creating an optimized software and hardware solution. The system will utilize Intel Optane persistent memory and Intel 3D NAND SSDs based on Intel QLC Technology, Intel Xeon Scalable processors with unique built-in artificial intelligence (AI) acceleration capabilities and Intel Ethernet 800 Series Network Adapters with Application Device Queues (ADQ) technology. Intel's leadership FPGAs for next-generation performance, flexibility and programmability will complement the solution.

Direct-attached performance from network-attached devices is no longer a thing of storage architects' dreams. KIOXIA America, Inc. (formerly Toshiba Memory America, Inc.), is now sampling Ethernet SSDs to select partners and customers interested in validating the benefits of Ethernet attached storage to their existing Ethernet (RoCEv2) networks. KIOXIA has been working in collaboration with key industry players Marvell, Foxconn-Ingrasys and Accton to bring groundbreaking Ethernet Bunch of Flash (EBOF) technology solutions to market - and this announcement is pivotal to that endeavor.

In an ongoing quest to contain explosive amounts of data, storage capacity and bandwidth must continue to grow while processing time must decrease. An EBOF system addresses these challenges through an Ethernet fabric that can scale flash and optimally disaggregate storage from compute. The EBOF storage solution bypasses the cost, complexity, and system limitations inherent with standard JBOF storage systems, which typically include a CPU, DRAM, HBA, and switch. This accelerates applications and workloads where disaggregated low-latency, high bandwidth, highly available storage is needed - bringing greatly improved performance and lower total cost of ownership to edge, enterprise and cloud data centers.

Sonnet Technologies today announced the Fusion Dual U.2 SSD PCIe Card, the latest product in the company's line of high-performance storage cards that enable the installation of SSDs into a computer's or Thunderbolt expansion system's PCIe card slot. The Fusion card supports two U.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 3 SSDs, which share the same form factor as 2.5-inch SATA drives but deliver up to seven times the performance of the fastest SATA SSDs available.

The Fusion Dual U.2 SSD PCIe Card enables users to install two enterprise-class U.2 SSDs (sold separately) into a full-length PCIe card slot, mounting and connecting the SSDs with no cables, adapters, or mounting trays required. For users who need to add storage to their computer setup and require ultra-high-speed data transfer speeds for a smooth workflow—such as video editors working with 6K and greater resolution footage—U.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 3 SSDs are ideal. Mainstream U.2 SSDs are currently available in capacities up to 16 TB and support data transfers at up to 3,500 MB/s. With two SSDs installed on the Sonnet card and configured as a RAID 0 set, sustained data transfers up to 6,250 MB/s are possible.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today unveiled the company's first consumer PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid state drive (SSD) - the Samsung SSD 980 PRO. The new 980 PRO is designed for professionals and consumers who want cutting-edge performance in their high-end PCs, workstations and game consoles.

"Over the years, Samsung has continuously challenged the limits of high-speed flash memory storage solutions," said Dr. Mike Mang, vice president of Memory Brand Product Biz at Samsung Electronics. "The new 980 PRO SSD reflects our continuing commitment to delivering exceptional products consumers have come to expect from Samsung."

Yangtze Memory Technology Company (YMTC), China's ambitious new memory manufacturer specializing in NAND flash, launched the first client-segment SSDs under its own brand, the PC005 Active series and the SC001 Active series. Rumors of YMTC developing its own brand SSDs surfaced first in June. Prior to that in May, it was reported that Phison could add support for YMTC NAND flash chips to variants of its existing SSD controllers, and so it's highly likely that the new YMTC SSDs use Phison-sourced controllers. Interestingly, the company deployed its first-generation Xtracking 64-layer 3D TLC NAND flash chips instead of its 2nd generation 128-layer QLC chips.

The PC005 Active comes in the M.2-2280 form-factor with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 host interface, leveraging the NVMe 1.3 protocol. The drive is available in 1 TB. 512 GB, and 256 GB capacities. All three variants read sequentially at speeds of up to 3,500 MB/s, wiring at up to 2,900 MB/s, up to 2,500 MB/s, and up to 1,200 MB/s, respectively. Their endurance is rated at 640 TBW for the 1 TB version, 320 TBW for the 512 GB, and 200 TBW for the 256 GB variant. All three are backed by 5-year warranties.

OWC ; a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company and one of the world's most respected providers of Memory, External Drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions, and performance upgrade kits introduces the new OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual with 3-Port Hub. Designed to handle diverse workflows, the Mercury Elite Pro Dual offers up to 32 TB of storage capacity plus a built-in high-powered USB hub for accessory connectivity and device charging, easily making it the centerpiece of your digital desktop. The compact Mercury Elite Pro Dual is equipped and ready to go to give you its best performance with any USB equipped Mac, PC, or tablet from nearly the last decade. You don't need to worry about what system you have, the Mercury Elite Pro Dual with 3-Port Hub is there to provide the performance, data capacity, and hub capability your digital needs.

The Mercury Elite Pro Dual with 3-Port Hub gives you nearly infinite options for your workspace. This modern designed solution is universally USB compatible and can handle diverse workflows. Available plug and play ready, the Mercury Elite Pro Dual is not only superfast, convenient, and versatile, it will quickly become the centerpiece of your digital lifestyle.

Introducing the Z490 DARK K|NGP|N Edition, now the premier motherboard in EVGA's Z490 lineup. The Z490 DARK K|NGP|N is a limited-edition motherboard that features validated support for memory speeds at 5000 MHz+ (OC), and a collectable retail box hand-signed by K|NGP|N himself.

The EVGA Z490 DARK K|NGP|N is also packaged with an 18-phase power design, right-angled connectors, and an Intel 2.5 GbE NIC to ensure that the only limitation of your Z490 DARK K|NGP|N is your imagination. The Z490 DARK K|NGP|N is a masterwork of design and engineering, bringing the best performance and stability available on the Z490 chipset.

NVIDIA at its GeForce "Ampere" launch event announced the RTX IO technology. Storage is the weakest link in a modern computer, from a performance standpoint, and SSDs have had a transformational impact. With modern SSDs leveraging PCIe, consumer storage speeds are now bound to grow with each new PCIe generation doubling per-lane IO bandwidth. PCI-Express Gen 4 enables 64 Gbps bandwidth per direction on M.2 NVMe SSDs, AMD has already implemented it across its Ryzen desktop platform, Intel has it on its latest mobile platforms, and is expected to bring it to its desktop platform with "Rocket Lake." While more storage bandwidth is always welcome, the storage processing stack (the task of processing ones and zeroes to the physical layer), is still handled by the CPU. With rise in storage bandwidth, the IO load on the CPU rises proportionally, to a point where it can begin to impact performance. Microsoft sought to address this emerging challenge with the DirectStorage API, but NVIDIA wants to build on this.

According to tests by NVIDIA, reading uncompressed data from an SSD at 7 GB/s (typical max sequential read speeds of client-segment PCIe Gen 4 M.2 NVMe SSDs), requires the full utilization of two CPU cores. The OS typically spreads this workload across all available CPU cores/threads on a modern multi-core CPU. Things change dramatically when compressed data (such as game resources) are being read, in a gaming scenario, with a high number of IO requests. Modern AAA games have hundreds of thousands of individual resources crammed into compressed resource-pack files.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking and storage solution innovator, today launched the TS-932PX, a compact 9-bay NAS featuring two 10 GbE SFP+ and 2.5 GbE RJ45 ports with four 2.5-inch SATA 6 Gb/s bays for dedicated SSD caching. The TS-932PX supports multi-cloud backup, cloud storage gateways, remote access, AI photo management and additional features for SMB to build an efficient high-speed network environment.

With a quad-core 1.70 GHz processor, 4 GB DDR4 RAM (expandable to 16 GB), two 10 GbE SFP+ ports, and two 2.5 GbE ports, the TS-932PX provides the performance and connectivity to make next-generation networking a reality for businesses and organizations. The TS-932PX marks QNAP's continued commitment to high-speed networking alongside other solutions like QNAP's 10 GbE/2.5 GbE managed/unmanaged switches and network adapters.

Running the ZFS-based QuTS hero operating system, the GM-1000 focuses on data integrity and features powerful block-level inline data deduplication and compression. Near-limitless snapshots, real-time SnapSync, and many more business-oriented features are also included to achieve reliable service-level agreement performance and Big Data storage.

"The GM-1000 features a unique dual-NAS architecture that delivers cost-efficient and space-saving advantages, ideal for offloading services between the two NAS nodes or running cross backup," said David Tsao, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "Its ZFS storage and performance makes it perfect for massive file storage, virtualization, and post-production with outstanding reliability and cost-effectiveness."

The NAND Flash industry benefitted from strong demand for PCs and servers in 2Q20 as the COVID-19 pandemic caused a demand surge for cloud services and technologies that are related to working from home, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. This, in turn, kept demand high for SSDs. However, the smartphone and consumer electronics markets had not recovered from the impact of the pandemic. The demand for these products therefore declined compared to the previous quarter. In 2Q20, total NAND Flash bit shipment and ASP both experienced a minor increase of about 3% QoQ, while NAND Flash revenue reached US$14.5 billion, a 6.5% increase QoQ.

Nimbus Data, a leading innovator in flash memory storage, today unveiled ExaDrive NL, the world's highest capacity QLC flash SSD and the industry's first QLC flash SAS SSD for enterprise workloads. With industry-leading capacity up to 64 TB in a single SSD, ExaDrive NL helps organizations eliminate server sprawl, reduce software licensing costs, improve efficiency, and reduce data center operating costs by up to 75%.

"Customers are always looking for more capacity and more efficient ways to access their data," said Jeff Janukowicz, Research Vice President, IDC. "High capacity QLC flash SSDs, like Nimbus Data's ExaDrive NL, help organizations migrate to enterprise-grade flash storage as cost-effectively as possible, while simplifying hybrid storage that blends HDDs and SSDs seamlessly to optimize cost and performance for their workloads."

Crucial, Micron's global consumer brand of memory and storage, today announced the new Crucial X6 portable solid-state drive (SSD). This new transportable, ultra-sleek drive expands the company's award-winning SSD portfolio and offers more value, capacity and performance options, making it perfect for customers who require instant access to all their digital content.

"The need for flexible access to digital content is essential right now - and the Crucial X6 and X8 portable SSDs bring Micron's unparalleled quality in storage technology directly to customers' fingertips," said Teresa Kelley, vice president and general manager of Micron's Consumer Products Group. "Whether working remotely, staying home with family, preparing for a virtual class, or getting out for an adventure, storing and accessing digital files has never been easier - even without an internet connection or access to the cloud."

In response to the long-distance business opportunities in the era of 5G IoT, and the trend towards storage of massive amounts of data, Apacer, a leading industrial storage and memory brand, has launched SSDs tailored specifically for network attached storage (NAS) applications. Apacer has been deeply involved in the field of industrial memory for more than 20 years, focusing on the development of non-volatile flash memory and SSD applications, and providing highly customized industrial-grade storage and memory solutions.

Considering NAS users' stringent data storage and security requirements, Apacer's NAS SSDs combine high durability, high efficiency, high reliability, and silent operation. They make it easy to quickly upgrade from traditional hard drives or ordinary SSDs, and create security and reliability for home office or small-and-medium-business (SMB) NAS applications.

SK hynix Inc., a global semiconductor supplier based in Korea, announced today the release of its newest PCIe SSD: the SK hynix Gold P31. The latest edition is the world's first 128-layer NAND flash-based consumer SSD and the company's first consumer-facing PCIe SSD launched in the United States under the SK hynix brand.

The Gold P31 is intended for all PC users with a particular focus on gamers, designers, and content creators. The drive supports the PCIe NVMe interface based on 4D NAND flash technology and is now available for purchase in 1 TB and 500 GB capacities on Amazon U.S. The Gold P31 offers best-in-class read speeds of up to 3,500 MB/s and write speeds of up to 3,200 MB/s. The drive is a reliable choice for gamers whose PCs must support long hours of play, as well as professional creators and designers for whom performance and stability is essential. The Gold P31's reliability has been tested and validated through 1,000 hours of high-temperature operating life tests (HTOL) with mean time between failures (MTBF) reaching 1.5 million hours. The SSD also comes with a five-year warranty.

OWC; a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company and one of the world's most respected providers of Memory, External Drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions and performance upgrade kits reveals the new OWC Rover Pro - a toolless, patent-pending made in the USA design that allows users to add wheels to the 2019 Mac Pro in under two minutes. Factory-finish, matching stainless-steel housings feature 360-degree articulating wheels with non-marring soft rubber tread install and include stops to keep your Mac Pro in place and offer the freedom of mobility when needed.

The OWC Rover Pro is the innovative mobility solution for the 2019 Mac Pro. The patent-pending design enables your Mac Pro to go "wheels on/wheels off" in under two minutes while saving time and money vs the factory wheel kit. No tools, no hassle, no worry: simply place your Mac Pro's factory feet into the Rover Pro's polished stainless-steel housings and secure with a few hand twists. When you're done moving your Mac Pro around, the Rover Pro allows quick and easy conversion back to the factory feet for stationary use.

HP today announced the S750 line of client-segment SSDs in the 2.5-inch form-factor that take advantage of the SATA 6 Gbps interface. Available in capacities of 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB, the drives combine an SMI-sourced controller with 96-layer 3D NAND flash memory. All three variants are rated to offer sequential transfer speeds of up to 560 MB/s reads, with up to 520 MB/s writes. The 256 GB variant offers random access performance of up to 55,000/79,000 IOPS (reads/writes); the 512 GB variant up to 90,000/89,000 IOPS, and the 1 TB variant up to 74,000/80,000 IOPS. Endurance of the three variants are rated at 160 TBW, 320 TBW, and 650 TBW, respectively. The company didn't reveal pricing as it vastly varies between regions.

Transcend Information Inc, a leading manufacturer of embedded memory products, recently rolled out a new line of solid-state drives featuring the latest generation of 96-layer 3D NAND flash. The release features SSDs in the NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4, SATA III M.2, and mSATA form factors, and large capacity options from 64 GB to 2 TB. Besides sporting an endurance rating of 3K P/E cycles, these solutions boast appealing new features, such as default 30µ" PCB gold finger and Corner Bond technology - which shields key components against wear and external impact - an extended operating temperature range (-20°C ~ 75°C), and dynamic thermal throttling, allowing for greater durability.

Phanteks today announced the release of the Eclipse P500A, a new addition to the high airflow performance Eclipse lineup, and alongside it the release of the new SK PWM fans. The P500A is a premium mid-tower that delivers high airflow performance with style. It features the same Ultra-Fine Performance mesh front panel as the award winning P400A and P300A cases known for their high airflow. The Ultra-Fine Performance mesh is engineered using an advanced sheet metal technique from Phanteks that enables high density perforations of just 1 mm to ensure effective dust-filtering and maximum airflow.

The P500A's versatile interior layout offers high-end features such as extensive air/water cooling solution (up to 420 mm radiators), massive storage capabilities (up to 10 HDDs and 3 SSDs) and even dual system support (requires PH-ITXKT_R01 & Revolt X power supply). The P500A comes with a hinged tempered glass side panel to showcase all your components and easy to remove for easier installation or maintenance. With a rich feature set and flexible interior, it's the perfect chassis for people demanding more than the standard mainstream with options for future expansion.

Wafer-scale design is getting popular it seems. Starting from the wafer-scale engine presented by Cerebras last year, which caused quite the shakeup in the industry, it seems that this design approach might be more useful than anyone thought. During VLSI Symposium 2020, Shigeo Oshima, Chief Engineer at Kioxia, had a presentation about new developments in SSD designs and implementations. What was one of the highlights of the presentation was the information that Kioxia is working on, was a technology Kioxia is referring to as wafer-level SSD.

The NAND chips used in SSDs would no longer be cut from the wafer and packaged separately. Instead, the wafer itself would represent the SSD. This is a similar approach Cerebras used with its wafer-scale engine AI processor. What would be gains of this approach compared to traditional methods of cutting up NAND chips and packaging them separately you might wonder? Well, for starters you wouldn't need to cut the wafer, package individual memory chips, and build the SSD out of them. Those steps could be skipped and there would be some cost savings present. And imagine if you decide to do wafer stacking. You could build super scaling SSDs with immense performance capable of millions of IOPS. However, for now, this is only a concept and it is just in early development. There is no possibility to find it in a final product anytime soon.

Samsung Electronics today introduced its second-generation quad-level cell (QLC) flash drive, the 870 QVO SATA SSD, that is setting a new standard for high-capacity consumer storage. Featuring an industry-leading capacity of up to eight terabytes (TB), the new SSD delivers an uncompromising mix of speed, storage capacity and reliability for mainstream and professional PC users.

In the past, consumers have had to choose between SSDs - which provide superior performance - and HDDs, which traditionally offer greater capacity. Samsung's 870 QVO SSD, however, is able to reliably offer the best of both worlds, making it an optimal choice for mainstream PC users who prioritize performance and value, as well as for professional users who require high levels of capacity.

Kioxia Holdings Corporation, the world leader in memory solutions, announced today that it expects to complete its acquisition of LITE-ON Technology Corporation's Solid State Drive (SSD) business, Solid State Storage Technology Corporation and its affiliated companies on July 1, 2020. The company entered into a share purchase agreement on August 30, 2019 in connection with the acquisition. Both parties are now following the necessary procedures in order to close the transaction on July 1, 2020.

As the demand for SSDs continues to increase with rapid expansion expected in the coming years with the rise of digital transformation, this acquisition will allow Kioxia to strengthen its SSD business significantly and help meet the projected growth in demand.

Kioxia Corporation has developed and started shipment of engineering samples of next generation Enterprise & Datacenter SSD Form Factor (EDSFF) E3.S which is being standardized by the SNIA SFF TA Technical Work Group. E3.S is a new form factor standard for NVMe SSDs in Cloud and enterprise data centers, especially targeting PCIe 5.0 and beyond. The E3.S will contribute to the design and development of next generation systems, such as cloud, hyper-converged and general-purpose servers and All Flash Array (AFA) systems in cloud and enterprise data centers.

The E3.S specification allows for size, power and capacity options, all with a common connector. Designed for future PCIe generations that offer higher power budgets, EDSFF E3.S delivers improved performance, cooling and flexibility over other form factors. Kioxia's E3.S engineering samples, based on Kioxia's CM6 Series PCIe 4.0 NVMe 1.4 SSD in a 2.5-inch form factor, demonstrated approximately 35% greater performance with the same controller and BiCS FLASH 3D TLC flash memory in the EDSFF E3.S form factor with x4 lanes and 28 W (+40%) of power.

OWC; a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company and one of the world's most respected providers of Memory, External Drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions and performance upgrade kits announces the new OWC Envoy Express, the world's first Thunderbolt 3 certified bus-powered portable storage enclosure that makes for effortless DIY projects. Shorter than a ballpoint pen and weighing only 3.3 ounces, the rugged anodized aluminium pocket-sized enclosure and unique laptop mounting system are ready for go-anywhere use.

While small in form, the OWC Envoy Express is big news. For the first time ever in the history of Thunderbolt, users can buy a bus-powered Thunderbolt certified enclosure and install their own drive in it. Finally, a DIY kit that allows users to break free of pre-configured choice limits in order to build a pocket-sized storage solution that meets their specific needs. And rebuild it anytime those needs change. Equally revolutionary is the included slide mount. This surface-safe removable drive holder allows the user to slide the Envoy Express onto the back of a laptop screen for out-of-the-way mobile use convenience. More options. More usability. More functionality….first and only from OWC.

Western Digital today announced new solutions that provide the foundation for next-generation data infrastructures designed around Ultrastar NVMe SSDs and supercharged by NVMe-oF. Building upon the company's innovative design and integration capabilities - from NAND Flash to storage platforms - the new dual-port, performance Ultrastar DC SN840 NVMe SSDs and in-house RapidFlex NVMe-oF controllers are standalone solutions that combine to create the new OpenFlex Data24 NVMe-oF Storage Platform, a new shared storage JBOF (Just a Bunch of Flash) enclosure that extends the value of NVMe to multiple hosts over a low-latency Ethernet fabric network. These new solutions further expand Western Digital's data center portfolio to help customers transition to higher efficiency NVMe SSDs and more advanced shared storage architectures to meet the evolving demands of performance-driven applications and workloads.

In today's global digital economy, microseconds count. As hyperscale cloud and enterprise data centers constantly work to remove bottlenecks to ensure uncompromised performance and availability of essential applications, while also keeping pace with unprecedented data growth, customer adoption of NVMe and NVMe-oF solutions continues to accelerate. Industry analyst firm IDC expects hyperscalers, OEMs and end-user IT organizations to continue to transition away from legacy SATA and SAS interfaces, with NVMe on track to reach more than 55 percent of total enterprise SSD units shipped in 2020 and grow at a 2018-2023 CAGR of 38 percent.