The 2011 Intel roadmap for CPUs and solid-state drives was recently published on the Internet, giving tech followers a brief glimpse into Intel’s product lineup through March 2011.
The new products are significant because they are the newest drives after a chip shrink, include better data encryption, a new controller, and faster read/write speeds compared to older generations. Intel is stepping up and showing competitors what they’re going to have to deal with in two key SSD markets over the next year.
Intel is scheduled to release a 400GB multi-level (MLC) SSD product for the enterprise during Q1 2011, however, pricing information wasn’t released. The company will also release a 40GB and 80GB SSD based on 32nm process technology and will be designed as a PCIE full SATA SSD.
The cheapest X25-V SSD (40GB) will remain a 2.5-inch SATA drive, but will ship with 80GB of storage and a 25nm MLC controller. The 80GB and 160GB X18-M SSDs will become 160GB and 300GB SSDs in 2011, with matching 25nm MLC process upgrades, Intel’s roadmap indicates.
These leaks from Intel aren’t necessarily “leaks” as much as coordinated news releases from Intel’s PR team. A select few tech sites are well known for publishing Intel news just slightly ahead of other sites — and most of the information eventually finds it way to tech consumers and journalists.
Furthermore, Intel plans to continue developing SSDs for consumers and the enterprise, and will find new channels to market the products. Earlier in the summer, Best Buy and Intel announced the popular store will begin selling Intel SSDs directly to consumers in-store, branching SSD’s out into a wide new audience of tech buyers.
The company’s joint effort with Micron has yielded the Intel-Micron Flash Technologies (IMFT) 25 nm MLC NAND flash technology that is expected to be widely used for future generations of products. Intel will continue developing new products for consumers and businesses, as interest in SSDs increases even more in the future.
30 Comments
Some have said that 25nm is much less expensive to make compared to 34nm, 50nm. I don't doubt that, but from what I have heard, 25nm will have lower Pe values , typically 3000 cycles, and that will mean more NAND provisioning is required.
You could end up having 128GB of NAND to provide 80GB of user space, so more NAND chips will be required compared to 34nm NAND.
Prices may not be as attractive as many people think.
For Lyndonvale, I've heard they will be using eMLC NAND (enterprise grade MLC) which will have a Pe value of 20,000 cycles. I guess this NAND wont be cheap to produce.
SandForce are already using 20nm NAND in a new product. I'll bring you more on that later.
What are Pe values exactly?
SandForce are already using 20nm NAND in a new product. I'll bring you more on that later.
Oh so they're not sitting idly by & letting the big boys reclaim the lead for a while?
Good on em, I look forward to hearing more about this!
Portable Executable?
Physical Education?
Preinstalled Environment?
Precision Error?
What do you mean .. sitting idly by and letting the "BIG BOYS" reclaim the lead.
It's hard to think of any silicon companies bigger than intel.
Intel is so big, it can afford to subsidise their CPU's to price competitors out of the OEM market .. illegally if required.
BTW: I think the 20nm NAND is from Toshiba/Samsung, but I need to check.
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Originally Posted by Dee
Sorry, Pe (program, erase) = write cycles.
BTW: I think the 20nm NAND is from Toshiba/Samsung, but I need to check. |
Oh yeah, I wasn't thinking sandforce would be fabbing the actual NAND.
Please keep us in the loop, you rock!
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Originally Posted by vroom
I only hope that they will find a way to drop the price without lowering the capacity of the hard drive.
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And I hope Dee's earlier assertions about lower PE for 25NM NAND, don't prove to be correct!
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Originally Posted by jalyst
Definitely!
And I hope Dee's earlier assertions about lower PE for 25NM NAND, don't prove to be correct! |
You can get around this but the cost is prohibitive.
As a rough guide for MLC NAND
50nm = 10,000 cycles
34nm = 5,000 cycles
25nm = 3,000 cycles, but could be as low as 1,500 cycles
Another way, and the one that SandForce uses, are new ways of bringing down write amplification. SandForce uses a technology they call DuraClass, which compresses data before it's written to NAND, and also employs very smart garbage collection algorithms.
I don't think Intel will use compression, but let's wait and see.
it is better read & write speed than Gen 2 Intel SSD ?
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Originally Posted by Burnsama
Good News
it is better read & write speed than Gen 2 Intel SSD ? |
2011 Q1 Intel G3 SSD ( with Powerful SandForce controller ) and I7 - 990X ( 6 Core / 3.46Ghz )
more info here
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3965/i...specs-revealed
February 2011 launch.
It isn't get cheper still $2 for per GB
Just not quite getting what you're saying, no offense intended.
I don't suppose Intel price drop has anything to do with OCZ's latest Apex and Vertex drives being faster than the Intel M models, at half the price) Any improvements from any company is a step in the rite direction.
You mean Postville is a step in the right direction?
Okay I think I understand your main point now...
Yes I too am looking forward to the next 6mth, exciting times in SSD land.
Cheers
About this category
Solid State (ssd)
- Relatively new way of storing data in PCs / Laptops. Solid State Drives (SSDs) have no moving parts which means they're completely silent. Another advantage is that the more expensive SSDs offer better performance than traditional hard disk drives. However, the prices for these more advanced drives are still rather high and the storage capacity relatively low, preventing SSDs to go mainstream still.More about this
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