Micron’s new 30.72TB SSD could trigger huge price drop amongst big QLC SSDs

Micron unveiled the primary 200+ layer NAND knowledge middle NVMe SSD, the 6500 Ion because it appears to be like to toughen its presence within the booming hyperscale garage marketplace. 

The corporate says its new SSD is healthier price than in a similar fashion priced QLC (quad-layer cellular) competition (just like the Solidigm D5-P5316) as it makes use of TLC (triple-layer cellular) that’s as value aggressive with QLC but in addition be offering higher efficiency.

An early assessment via Tweaktown’s Jon Coulter (opens in new tab) confirmed that the power delivered what it had promised: TLC for the cost of QLC and that’s essential. The D5-P5316 is the most cost effective of the massive capability SSDs in the marketplace and, just like the 6500 ion is to be had in U3 and E1.L shape elements. 

Provantage shares each SKUs (opens in new tab) for just below $2,500 and if Micron controlled to compare Solidigm’s ticket, then one can be expecting QLC costs to give way, which can have a knockoff impact at the wider marketplace.

61.44TB SSD at the horizon?

Key to Micron’s pricing technique is using 232-layer TLC flash NAND in comparison to competition which can be the use of 144-layer QLC flash (its advertising literature states that it has a die density 5% upper than QLC at 14.55Gb/mm^2. This, by myself, gets rid of the primary good thing about QLC, which is pricing. TLC wins nearly far and wide else: learn/writes (random or sequential), energy intake and most likely most significantly, staying power.

Two issues stuck my consideration as neatly: there’s just one SKU for the 6500 ION and that’s the 30.72TB type. I’m susceptible to consider that there may well be a larger SKU (61.44TB??) presented will have to there be an urge for food for it at some point. Micron additionally noticed it have compatibility to package a passive fan to chill the SSD; the fan greater than doubles the peak of the SSD (taking into consideration that that is an 15mm U3 power).

We now have reached out to Micron to determine whether or not the fan might be got rid of to scale back the thickness of the SSD to one thing that may be positioned in a computer.

Micron has every other 30.72TB power, the 9400 Professional which was once introduced previous this and has the next staying power (about 3X) that of the 6500 ION. As anticipated, it’s also a little costlier; I controlled to supply it on-line for round $3,100. 

Extra 30TB SSDs at the approach?

Till just lately, Samsung’s PM1643 was once the one huge capability (30.72TB) power to be had. Since then, Nimbus knowledge launched two 32TB SSDs (in addition to a 64TB, 50TB and 100TB type), Samsung added the PM1653 and the PM1733, Kioxia presented the PM6 and the CM6 and Solidigm dropped the D5-P5316 and the simply introduced P5430. There are naturally different area of interest gamers (Natural Garage, Liqid Component) with both proprietary answers or merchandise that concentrate on a small section of the garage marketplace.