OCZ shows off first SSDs with TLC NAND memory
updated 03:15 pm EDT, Fri November 4, 2011
OCZ intros MLC-undercutting SSDs with TLC NAND
Storage media maker OCZ showed off a first in the commercial storage drive space with a teaser of its upcoming three-bit-per-cell (TLC) NAND drive. The technology improves the density per cell by 50 percent and should apply equally to home and pro buyers. The company is keen to do so as TLC NAND is significantly cheaper to produce compared to MLC NAND, with OCZ's numbers showing off a reduction of as much as 30 percent.
The cost savings will translate to the buyer, and the first models are due to ship this winter. Minimum life on a given drive is said to be four years, which should be long enough for PC builders and end users alike who want the benefits of SSD storage. The enterprise market will get a chance to buy the drives in the summer of 2012. These should have a longer life, however.
The company will also improve the error correction of the drives by adding its Indilinx nDurance technology. nDurance 2 that promises to double life is said to be coming in the fall of next year.
More detailed specs, as well as prices and ship dates, will be revealed closer to launch. [via StorageReview]
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Good News
Not saying we're anywhere near the turning point quite yet, but things like this combined with the fact that rotating hard drive prices have gone up by nearly a factor of two in the last two weeks sort of gives you a vision of the day when SSDs will approach the $/GB ratio of traditional drives.
Of course, the Thailand flooding situation is temporary, and rotating hard drives will also increase in capacity, but SSD seems to be on the better part of the curve right now, and feels that way even more when you go shopping for a rotating drive and can't find one.