Fourth-generation solid-state drives have been around for a while, but now Intel is sharing details of the next wave of SSDs, promising dramatically superior write speeds. As the name suggests, SSDs are memory storage products that, unlike traditional hard drives (HDDs), do not contain moving parts. This gives SSDs The advantage of being much more durable and less vulnerable to bumps and shakes. Because of this, SSDs are predominant in mobile devices such as laptops and smartphones, as well as stationary systems like games consoles and PCs.
As with the consumer space, SSDs have also become more commonplace for enterprise users. The lack of physical parts typically means SSDs often have a lower profile than HDDs, but even more of a reason for the switch is the evolution of write speeds, which is the pace at which information can transfer onto a device. Historically, HDDs have outpaced SSDs for data throughput momentum, but as those drives ran into natural bottlenecks, engineers worked to develop solid-state units as a complementary technology. Over the years, SSD-makers have iterated at a rapid clip, adding more storage and continuously pushing write speeds further. Nowadays, SSDs routinely beat HDDs for embedding data, with connection speeds of almost 7 Gbps.
Intel’s Chief Performance Strategist Ryan Shrout has posted a brief clip to Twitter, teasing a fifth-generation SSD. Shrout notes Intel had planned to showcase the device at CES 2022, but those plans have since changed. Instead, the executive showed a new Samsung PM1743 PCIe SSD situated within a PC running a twelfth-generation Core i9 processor. The executive starts the video by running a connection speed test on a fourth-generation SSD, finding it tops out at 6.9 Gbps. He then puts the fifth-generation Samsung PM1743 through its paces, showing it achieving roughly double the throughput at 13.8 Gbps. Of course, Shrout’s demonstration does not cover actual write speeds, but that is something that one would assume Samsung will discuss during CES next week.
Enterprise Only At First
Shrout says the Samsung PM1743 PCIe SSD will be pitched toward enterprise customers, so there’s no word on when consumer-grade fifth-generation SSDs will arrive. It’s also unclear whether such drives will be compatible with consoles such as the PlayStation 5, which currently supports fourth-generation technology. It’s also uncertain whether the next generation will usher in higher capacity SSDs, which typically pales in storage when compared with equivalent priced HDDs.
Still, with Intel’s early tease of what Samsung has to offer, it seems clear this year’s CES will feature more breakthrough technologies to get excited about. That is of course if COVID-19 doesn’t completely upend the event. Either way, the opening days of 2022 certainly promise to be interesting.
Source: Ryan Shrout / Twitter