New Samsung SSD uses toggle-mode DDR NAND

Samsung announced it will begin  shipping a new fast 512GB solid-state drive sometime in July, with the storage unit using toggle-mode DDR NAND flash for even better performance.

The new Samsung 512GB SSD has a read speed up to 250MB/sec and a write speed of 220MB/sec.  The company said owners can transfer two entire DVD movies (8GB of content) in  one minute or less.

Since Samsung’s SSD uses a synchronous interface — allowing it to use a higher bandwidth — the drive should also include power savings from a new low-power controller.  Using the SSD automatically if it enters low-power mode could help extend a device’s battery life around 60 minutes.

“The highly advanced features and characteristics of our new SSD were obtained as a direct result of an aggressive push for further development of our NAND flash technology, our SSD controller and our supportive SSD firmware,” said Dong-Soo Jun, Samsung memory marketing VP, in a press statement.

Samsung hopes the industry embraces its toggle DDR memory, which could help bring in the “new wave of high-end SSD technology.”

I’m not as optimistic that this Samsung offering will help usher in a new era, but it should definitely help the industry make one more step in the right direction.  The use of the synchronous interface should increase with more manufacturers looking to expand from the asynchronous interface.

I especially like the power savings offered by this new SSD, especially since I use my notebook and netbooks for extended periods without AC power.