512GB SSD comes in a size of SIM card

Article By : Toshiba

New single-package ball grid array SSDs can accommodate up to 512GB in 16mm × 20mm NVMe SSD form factor.

Delivering a smaller footprint than traditional storage options, Toshiba's new family of solid state drives (SSDs) features cutting-edge BiCS FLASH with 3-bit-per-cell TLC (triple-level cell) technology and the company's new single-package ball grid array (BGA) NVMe PCI Express (PCIe) Gen3 x2 SSD.

With a surface area 95% smaller than conventional 2.5-inch SATA storage devices and 82% smaller than M.2 Type 22806, the Toshiba BG series condenses both the controller and NAND flash memory in a single 16mm x 20mm BGA package enabling device manufacturers to prioritise features like battery capacity for longer operating times. The BG series is also available mounted on a M.2 Type 22307 module for applications requiring socketed storage.

BG SSDs utilise BiCS FLASH, a three-dimensional (3D) stacked cell structure, making it possible to accommodate up to 512GB of storage capacity in this high-performance and compact form factor. Additionally, the BG series SSDs utilise an in-house Toshiba-developed controller and firmware for a full, vertically developed solution, ensuring technology is tightly integrated for optimal performance, power consumption and reliability.

To deliver a more compact and power efficient drive, while still delivering excellent performance in client workloads, the BG series implements the latest NVMe standard Host Memory Buffer (HMB) feature, which allocates and employs host DRAM for flash management purposes in contrast to alternative solutions that contain costly and power-hungry dedicated DRAM to perform similar functions. Host Memory Buffer technology can enable increased performance over solutions without DRAM by storing lookup data on host memory to reduce access times for commonly accessed data.

The Toshiba BG SSD Family will be available in 128GB, 256GB or 512GB capacities in both a 16mm x 20mm package (M.2 Type 1620) or a removable M.2 Type 2230 module. Samples of Toshiba BGA SSDs are initially available for limited PC OEM customers, and will be available for other customers to develop with in the fourth quarter of 2016.