South Korean tech giant Samsung recently unveiled its fourth generation of 3D NAND technology along with a new line of Solid State Drive (SSD) upgrades that this new technology enables. Using this new technology, Samsung was able to create a 32TB SSD which the company intends to release to the market next year.
Although Samsung's 32TB SSD is no match to Seagate's recently announced 60TB drive, the one from the South Korean tech giant it denser. The drives, from Seagate and Samsung, are on display at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, California.
The 32TB SSD from Samsung is the first model to be based on the company's fourth generation 3D NAND flash memory. This new technology stacks 64 NAND storage layers into a single chip package. This is by far the highest density available in any chips.
Samsung's newly developed technology can deliver a significantly higher read-and-write performance compared to its 48-layer third generation 3D NAND flash memory predecessor. According to AnandTech, Samsung's new 3D NAND technology supports an increased interface speed of up to 800Mbps.
Samsung's 32TB SSD has a small form factor and can fit in a 2.5-inch slot. In comparison, Seagate's 60TB drive requires a much bigger 3.5-inch slot. Samsung could have choose to create a higher capacity drive, however, the company is known for its commitment towards a smaller form factor and smaller drive slots.
SSD manufacturers are now pushing the limit of drives and are now packing more storage space into a single drive. This is because of storage demands from applications like high definition video, analytics, virtual reality, and machine learning.
According to PC World, Samsung is planning to release a 100TB SSD by 2020. Samsung senior SSD and storage product manager also claims that the company's drives are faster and more durable compared to other products from competitors.