sandisk | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 30 Mar 2023 09:02:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png sandisk | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 WD launches rugged SanDisk Pro G-40 SSD with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/wd-launches-rugged-sandisk-pro-g-40-ssd-with-thunderbolt-3-and-usb-3-2-gen-2/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/wd-launches-rugged-sandisk-pro-g-40-ssd-with-thunderbolt-3-and-usb-3-2-gen-2/#respond Fri, 07 Oct 2022 14:28:00 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=577507 The SanDisk Pro G40 has arrived, bringing new dual-mode compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 interfaces, paving the way for easy and efficient transfers across devices.  Today, WD announced the latest addition to its SanDisk Professional line-up, the Pro-G40 SSD. This is the company's most rugged drive to date, with a high-level …

The post WD launches rugged SanDisk Pro G-40 SSD with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The SanDisk Pro G40 has arrived, bringing new dual-mode compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 interfaces, paving the way for easy and efficient transfers across devices. 

Today, WD announced the latest addition to its SanDisk Professional line-up, the Pro-G40 SSD. This is the company's most rugged drive to date, with a high-level IP68 rating and strong durable casing to keep your data protected no matter where your work takes you. Beyond that, you'll also have access to blazing-fast speeds, making this perfect for moving large files.

Geared towards business and creative professionals, the Pro-G40 SSD offers super-fast speeds of up to 2700MB/s read and 1900MB/s write through Thunderbolt 3. At these speeds, it should only take 30 seconds to move a 50GB file, making it ideal for working with large files, such as 4K or 8K video, AR/VR rendering or transferring other data quickly.

The casing is aluminium, providing passive cooling for the SSD to help maintain fast speeds for longer periods of time. With its design and IP68 rating, the SSD is also dust and water-resistant and can withstand up to 3-meter drops.

Picking one of these up will cost you £414.99 for the 1TB version, or £654.99 for the 2TB version, both available directly from the Western Digital Store.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do you all think of the new SanDisk Pro G40? 

The post WD launches rugged SanDisk Pro G-40 SSD with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/wd-launches-rugged-sandisk-pro-g-40-ssd-with-thunderbolt-3-and-usb-3-2-gen-2/feed/ 0
WD teams up with Epic Games and Nintendo for officially licensed SanDisk Fortnite microSD cards https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/wd-teams-up-with-epic-games-and-nintendo-for-officially-licensed-sandisk-fortnite-microsd-cards/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/wd-teams-up-with-epic-games-and-nintendo-for-officially-licensed-sandisk-fortnite-microsd-cards/#respond Thu, 15 Sep 2022 06:44:12 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=574533 We've seen a number of officially licensed SD cards for the Nintendo Switch over the years, and now the roster is expanding with new Fortnite designs from WD's SanDisk.  This week, Western Digital announced a new partnership with Epic Games and Nintendo to deliver the first officially licensed Fortnite SanDisk microSDXC card for the Nintendo …

The post WD teams up with Epic Games and Nintendo for officially licensed SanDisk Fortnite microSD cards first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
We've seen a number of officially licensed SD cards for the Nintendo Switch over the years, and now the roster is expanding with new Fortnite designs from WD's SanDisk. 

This week, Western Digital announced a new partnership with Epic Games and Nintendo to deliver the first officially licensed Fortnite SanDisk microSDXC card for the Nintendo Switch. These will be available in both 128GB and 256GB sizes, giving you plenty of extra room to store digital games on the Switch.

The designs are inspired by the Skull Trooper and Cuddle Team Leader outfits from Fortnite. Those who pick up one of these SD cards will get a code with it, which will grant you a rare Angular Flow Wrap in Fortnite.

As a licensed SD Card, it has been fully tested and approved for the Nintendo Switch, and you get a lifetime warranty too for peace of mind. In terms of speed, you'll get read speeds up to 100MB/s and write speeds up to 90MB/s.

The Fortnite SanDisk microSDXC card for Nintendo Switch retails for £24.99 (128GB) and £42.99 (256GB) and is available now at select Western Digital retailers, e-tailers and on the Western Digital online store.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The Nintendo Switch's internal storage doesn't give much space, so a microSD card is almost a necessity. Are you currently looking to pick up a microSD card for your Switch? 

The post WD teams up with Epic Games and Nintendo for officially licensed SanDisk Fortnite microSD cards first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/wd-teams-up-with-epic-games-and-nintendo-for-officially-licensed-sandisk-fortnite-microsd-cards/feed/ 0
WD launches all-new WD_Black, SanDisk and Ultrastar SSDs for 2022 https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/wd-launches-all-new-wd_black-sandisk-and-ultrastar-ssds-for-2022/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/wd-launches-all-new-wd_black-sandisk-and-ultrastar-ssds-for-2022/#respond Mon, 09 May 2022 16:00:46 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=559945 Ahead of Computex next month, today Western Digital is hosting its own ‘What's next' digital event, showcasing all-new SSDs and storage devices for 2022. The new line-up includes new WD_Black SSDs, new creator-oriented storage from San Disk and a new ultra-high capacity Ultrastar SSD aimed at enterprise and datacentres.  We'll start off with what most …

The post WD launches all-new WD_Black, SanDisk and Ultrastar SSDs for 2022 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Ahead of Computex next month, today Western Digital is hosting its own ‘What's next' digital event, showcasing all-new SSDs and storage devices for 2022. The new line-up includes new WD_Black SSDs, new creator-oriented storage from San Disk and a new ultra-high capacity Ultrastar SSD aimed at enterprise and datacentres. 

We'll start off with what most of you are here for – new WD_Black drives. First up, Western Digital is launching the SN850X PCIe 4 NVMe SSD, offering speeds of up to 7300 MB/s, in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacity. The SSD also supports Game Mode 2.0, which will increase performance in games, particularly when streaming or capturing footage on top of playing. Prices will start at $189.99 in the US once these SSDs start shipping in July.

Next up is the WD_Black P40 Game Drive SSD, the latest in a long range of console-oriented Game Drive products. The P40 features a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 interface, offering speeds of up to 2,000MB/s, which is very impressive for a portable SSD. The WD_Black P40 will be launching this summer, starting at $119.99 and available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities.

On the SanDisk side of things, WD has a new SanDisk Professional Pro-Blade modular SSD ecosystem on the way. Aimed at creators who need instant access to their media files, the Pro-Blade series includes portable SSDs and two SSD enclosures.

The two enclosures you have to choose from include the Pro-Blade Transport, which is designed to deliver fast speeds in a portably form factor, and the Pro-Blade Station, which is designed for desktop use. At the heart of each, you'll want to place up to four Pro-Blade SSD Mags, a versatile NVMe SSD designed to slot inside the enclosures and deliver up to 2000MB/s transfer speeds in the Transport enclosure, and even faster speeds in the desktop enclosure. The SSD mag will be available in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities, with prices starting at $179.99.

Finally, the last big announcement we are covering today is the new WD Ultrastar NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD, available in capacities up to 15.36TB and using next-gen BiCS5 3D TLC NAND and a PCIe 4.0 interface. The SSD will be available in a 2.5-inch form factor for traditional infrastructure, as well as in the ruler E1.L form-factor.

All of WD's new SSD products will be available over the coming months. Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do you all think of WD's new line-up for 2022? Will you be looking to upgrade your PC's SSD this year? 

The post WD launches all-new WD_Black, SanDisk and Ultrastar SSDs for 2022 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/wd-launches-all-new-wd_black-sandisk-and-ultrastar-ssds-for-2022/feed/ 0
SanDisk introduces Extreme and Extreme Pro NVMe portable SSDs https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/sandisk-introduces-extreme-and-extreme-pro-nvme-portable-ssds/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/sandisk-introduces-extreme-and-extreme-pro-nvme-portable-ssds/#respond Wed, 30 Sep 2020 12:08:58 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=488191 SanDisk is back this week with new portable SSDs that bring a close to 2x speed increase over previous generations. The new SanDisk Extreme and SanDisk Extreme Pro are launching today with capacities up to 2TB, a rugged design and 256-bit AES hardware encryption to keep your data sage.  The flagship SanDisk Extreme Pro has …

The post SanDisk introduces Extreme and Extreme Pro NVMe portable SSDs first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
SanDisk is back this week with new portable SSDs that bring a close to 2x speed increase over previous generations. The new SanDisk Extreme and SanDisk Extreme Pro are launching today with capacities up to 2TB, a rugged design and 256-bit AES hardware encryption to keep your data sage. 

The flagship SanDisk Extreme Pro has an aluminium chassis to keep the NVMe SSD cool under heavy workloads. In terms of performance, the SanDisk Extreme Pro offers read/write speeds of up to 2000MB/s. The chassis also has an IP55 rating, meaning it is built to withstand drops of up to two meters. Password protection and hardware encryption are also offered, keeping your data safe at all levels.

The standard SanDisk Extreme Portable also uses an NVMe SSD, but it is slower, offering read/write speeds of up to 1050MB/s and 1000MB/s respectively. Other features, like IP55 protection, password protection and 256-bit AES encryption remain. The housing of the SSD is different, opting for a durable silicone shell rather than aluminium.

Both new SSDs are compatible with PC, Mac and can also work with USB Type-C smartphones. The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD starts at £133.99 for 500GB and £216.99 for 1TB – the 2TB model is expected to arrive later this year. As for the flagship SanDisk Extreme Pro, that one is already available in 2TB capacity for £418.99 with a 1TB version expected before the end of the year.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Are many of you in need of a high-speed portable SSD? What do you make of the latest offerings from SanDisk? 

The post SanDisk introduces Extreme and Extreme Pro NVMe portable SSDs first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/sandisk-introduces-extreme-and-extreme-pro-nvme-portable-ssds/feed/ 0
SanDisk’s microSD card offers 13 years of continuous usage https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/christopher-nohall/sandisks-microsd-card-offers-13-years-of-continuous-usage/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/christopher-nohall/sandisks-microsd-card-offers-13-years-of-continuous-usage/#respond Fri, 20 Mar 2020 12:17:39 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=457831 MicroSD cards can be used in a variety of situations – whether it be climbing Mount Everest or playing Nintendo Switch. Because of the wide range of usage areas for the small storage cards, companies have researched and developed cards that meet the different needs of costumers. Some cards are made to be fast, working in …

The post SanDisk’s microSD card offers 13 years of continuous usage first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
MicroSD cards can be used in a variety of situations – whether it be climbing Mount Everest or playing Nintendo Switch. Because of the wide range of usage areas for the small storage cards, companies have researched and developed cards that meet the different needs of costumers. Some cards are made to be fast, working in cold temperatures or to be able to store vast amounts of data. Now SanDisk has released a card that is designed to last for 120,000 hours, or 13 years, of continuous usage.

SanDisk's new microSD is called “MAX ENDURANCE” and is designed to be used in either home security cameras or in a dash cam. SanDisk themselves says that the card will give their costumers “continuous peace of mind for years to come”, due to the the being ‘engineered… for continuous recording and re-recording.'


Image credit: SanDisk

However, endurance isn't the only feature of the small storage card from SanDisk. It's designed to be waterproof, shockproof, and X-ray proof, so this MicroSD looks sets to overcome any hurdles that might come its way. The card is available in 32GB capacities, all the way up to 256GB, with the price tag starting at £12.99 for the smallest card and going up to £101.99 for the biggest card.

Speed wise the cards have a sequential read performance that goes up to 100MB/s and a sequential write performance that goes up to 40MB/s. The cards are shipped with an impressive 15-year limited warranty.

KitGuru says: What are your thoughts of the new microSD card from SanDisk? Could you find a usage for the card in the next 13 years to come? 

The post SanDisk’s microSD card offers 13 years of continuous usage first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/christopher-nohall/sandisks-microsd-card-offers-13-years-of-continuous-usage/feed/ 0
CES 2020: Western Digital unveils new portable storage devices https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/james-dawson/ces-2020-western-digital-unveils-new-portable-storage-devices/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/james-dawson/ces-2020-western-digital-unveils-new-portable-storage-devices/#respond Wed, 08 Jan 2020 15:40:53 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=445459 CES 2020 is reaching its halfway point today and we have already seen a stack of innovative and exciting new products launching at the event in the last few days. Western Digital has announced the world’s highest capacity, pocket-sized portable SSD from its SanDisk line, along with other brand-new storage solutions. The SanDisk 8TB SSD …

The post CES 2020: Western Digital unveils new portable storage devices first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
CES 2020 is reaching its halfway point today and we have already seen a stack of innovative and exciting new products launching at the event in the last few days. Western Digital has announced the world’s highest capacity, pocket-sized portable SSD from its SanDisk line, along with other brand-new storage solutions.

The SanDisk 8TB SSD prototype has been demonstrated at CES 2020 by Western Digital. The world’s highest capacity portable SSD features a SuperSpeed 20Gbps USB interface protocol, its high capacity and extreme transfer speed will no doubt make it ideal for content creators who need fast access to large media files while on the go. At the moment the device is in a prototype stage so is not available for purchase just yet.

Western Digital has been showcasing other storage solutions at CES 2020 too, including the all-new 1TB SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB Type-C Flash Drive which is the company’s latest dual connector drive, compatible with the latest USB Type-C equipped smartphones and laptops. The device features an all-metal housing, USB Type-C connection on one end and a Type-A on the other, meaning users can use the flash drive to easily transfer files between a huge range of USB enabled systems.

Another industry first for Western Digital is its WD_black P50 game Drive SSD, it’s the first device of its type to feature a SuperSpeed USB 2.0 interface. The P50 is available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities to provide PC and console gamers with ultra-fast, high capacity storage solutions in a small and portable form factor. Western Digital has also unveiled two new Xbox-licensed drives, the WD_black P10 game Drive and WD_black D10 Game Drive, the D10 features a huge 12TB capacity, both devices are available to purchase now, starting from $69.99.

Additionally, Western Digital has introduced a new smart photo management device, the SanDisk ibi offers users a local storage solution that works as a personal cloud to store photos and video content. The SanDisk ibi is available in 1TB capacity and includes a companion app for users to wirelessly connect the device with their smartphone to automatically backup, organize and privately share content.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Some handy new portable storage solutions available from Western Digital and SanDisk. The prototype 8TB portable SSD sound really impressive. What do you guys think of these new storage devices from Western Digital?

 

The post CES 2020: Western Digital unveils new portable storage devices first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/james-dawson/ces-2020-western-digital-unveils-new-portable-storage-devices/feed/ 0
IFA 2019: LEO checks out new drives from Western Digital and SanDisk https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/ifa-2019-leo-checks-out-new-drives-from-western-digital-and-sandisk/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/ifa-2019-leo-checks-out-new-drives-from-western-digital-and-sandisk/#respond Sat, 07 Sep 2019 13:37:31 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=424791 At IFA this week, LEO had the chance to check out all of the latest hard drives and SSDs coming from both Western Digital and SanDisk. There are a bunch of external ‘Game Drives' aimed at consoles in capacities up to 8TB, in addition to a new WD Black NVMe SSD. On the SanDisk side, …

The post IFA 2019: LEO checks out new drives from Western Digital and SanDisk first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
At IFA this week, LEO had the chance to check out all of the latest hard drives and SSDs coming from both Western Digital and SanDisk. There are a bunch of external ‘Game Drives' aimed at consoles in capacities up to 8TB, in addition to a new WD Black NVMe SSD. On the SanDisk side, we have new SD Cards, flash drives and a Qi wireless charger that also backs up your phone's photos/videos and contacts.

Western Digital's big showcase was the new range of WD Black Game Drives for consoles. The Black P10 Game Drive hits 2TB, 3TB, 4TB and 5TB capacities and uses a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface for connectivity. The Black P50 Game Drive is an SSD rather than a HDD, hitting capacities up to 2TB using a USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface for speeds of up to 1980MB/s. The Black D10 Game Drive can go all the way up to 12TB with 7,200 RPM speeds. It is externally powered and has two extra USB ports for charging other devices.

Finally for the PC crowd, there is a WD Black SN750 M.2 NVMe SSD on the way in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities. It is PCIe Gen 3 rather than Gen 4 though, so expect speeds to be around the 2000MB/s mark. The MyPassport series of external HDDs now also go up to 5TB.

SanDisk is focusing on expandable storage this year. The SanDisk Extreme Pro CFexpress Card Type B is due to launch this year in capacities up to 512GB with read/write speeds of 1700MB/s and 1400MB/s respectively. If you need a bit more SD card space, then the SanDisk Extreme Pro SD UHS-I comes with 1TB of storage.

The SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Go aims to add more storage to iOS devices. The SanDisk iXpand Wireless Charger is a Qi wireless charger with Bluetooth for Android and iOS devices, giving you the opportunity to juice up and back up your files.

KitGuru Says: I'm sure we'll be taking a deeper look at some of these storage devices in the months to come. Is there anything here that has piqued your interest?

The post IFA 2019: LEO checks out new drives from Western Digital and SanDisk first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/ifa-2019-leo-checks-out-new-drives-from-western-digital-and-sandisk/feed/ 0
The best SSDs on Amazon Prime Day https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/the-best-ssds-on-amazon-prime-day/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/the-best-ssds-on-amazon-prime-day/#respond Tue, 16 Jul 2019 14:55:36 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=418200 Amazon Prime Day has officially kicked off today and there are already some excellent deals starting to show up. If you are looking for a PC gaming upgrade, then today would be a good day to start shopping around. In this post, we break down the best SSDs currently discounted, including SATA and M.2 versions …

The post The best SSDs on Amazon Prime Day first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Amazon Prime Day has officially kicked off today and there are already some excellent deals starting to show up. If you are looking for a PC gaming upgrade, then today would be a good day to start shopping around. In this post, we break down the best SSDs currently discounted, including SATA and M.2 versions in capacities up to 2TB! 

 

We will start off with Samsung and WD. Today's Prime Day deals see the Samsung 860 EVO 1TB Sata SSD at 62 percent off, bringing the price down to just £99.99. Since this is a Sata SSD, you will be getting a typical read speed of 550MB/s, which is solid for the money. If you are after a speedier M.2 SSD, then the Western Digital SN750 NVMe SSD is on sale today, you can get a 500GB version with transfer speeds of up to 3470MB/s for £105.

While these aren't strictly Prime Day deals, Crucial and Corsair also have some sensibly priced SSDs available right now. The Crucial MX 500 for instance is available in 500GB form for just £60, 1TB for £100 or 2TB for £200. On the Corsair side of things, you can get an M.2 MP300 240GB SSD for £44, a 480GB for £74 or a 960GB version for £145. Since these are all M.2 drives, there is a speed advantage over SATA, with read speeds of up to 1600MB/s.

KitGuru Says: There will be more deals coming up throughout the week so we'll have a few more updated round-ups as things progress. Tomorrow in particular should be an interesting day for PC hardware. Let us know if any of you end up picking something up! 

 

The post The best SSDs on Amazon Prime Day first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/the-best-ssds-on-amazon-prime-day/feed/ 0
SanDisk launches licensed Nintendo microSD cards https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/sandisk-launches-licensed-nintendo-microsd-cards/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/sandisk-launches-licensed-nintendo-microsd-cards/#comments Mon, 04 Sep 2017 12:24:15 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=345914 Western Digital has been pushing its SanDisk line of microSDs as of late, with one of the latest memory cards offering  400GB of storage. The company isn’t stopping there, however, this time pairing up with Nintendo to produce licensed microSDXC for the Switch. Currently, the two entries to SanDisk’s Nintendo line of cards offer a …

The post SanDisk launches licensed Nintendo microSD cards first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Western Digital has been pushing its SanDisk line of microSDs as of late, with one of the latest memory cards offering  400GB of storage. The company isn’t stopping there, however, this time pairing up with Nintendo to produce licensed microSDXC for the Switch.

Currently, the two entries to SanDisk’s Nintendo line of cards offer a 64GB and 128GB option. This falls a lot shorter than the 400GB offering, however are likely to be much more affordable and market friendly.

“These new Nintendo-licensed memory cards provide significant additional storage for digital content,” said Nintendo of America's Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Tom Prata. “In many retail locations they will be conveniently displayed alongside Nintendo Switch games and accessories.”

The cards feature 100MB/s read and 90MB/s write speed, which makes them perfect for gaming directly from the card, however it doesn’t necessarily show much deviation from SanDisk’s Ultra range aside from the packaging containing licensed characters and the card embedded with the Switch logo. Needless to say, the cards will work in tandem with the Nintendo Switch, leaving one less thing to worry about.

“As more and more amazing games and related content become available for download on Nintendo Switch, our licensed memory cards allow users to quickly and easily expand their storage,” said Sven Rathjen, vice president of product marketing at Western Digital. “Nintendo Switch has generated tremendous momentum, and we are thrilled to partner with Nintendo to offer consumers a trusted card for their system.”

Pricing and availability is still yet to be determined before its October release, however if it does contain a premium for the characters, that will leave a sour taste in customer’s mouths.

KitGuru Says: The packaging is certainly likely to please collectors but other than that, the cards seem like your regular, run of the mill microSD cards already available on the market. Are you more likely to purchase SanDisk’s Nintendo cards than the ordinary ones?

The post SanDisk launches licensed Nintendo microSD cards first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/sandisk-launches-licensed-nintendo-microsd-cards/feed/ 3
SanDisk’s latest microSD card offers up 400GB of storage https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/sandisks-latest-microsd-card-offers-up-400gb-of-storage/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/sandisks-latest-microsd-card-offers-up-400gb-of-storage/#comments Thu, 31 Aug 2017 17:46:09 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=345797 Now that 256GB microSD cards are becoming more common, it is time for the bar to raise once again. This week, SanDisk has launched its brand new 400GB microSD card, the highest capacity microSD in the world. Previously Samsung held the title for highest capacity microSD card with its 256GB EVO chip released last year. …

The post SanDisk’s latest microSD card offers up 400GB of storage first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Now that 256GB microSD cards are becoming more common, it is time for the bar to raise once again. This week, SanDisk has launched its brand new 400GB microSD card, the highest capacity microSD in the world.

Previously Samsung held the title for highest capacity microSD card with its 256GB EVO chip released last year. Now, SanDisk has managed to one-up them with its 400GB card, which can transfer files at up to 100MB/s.

If you wanted to use something like this in your phone to store apps, then that would also be completely feasible. This is rated as an App Performance Class A1 device, which essentially means it'll be quick enough to run apps well without hindering performance or causing problems.

Unfortunately, the price tag might be a bitter pill for some to swallow. For a 400GB microSD card from SanDisk, you are going to need to spend about $249.99. A specific release date has yet to be revealed but we should expect these to roll out before the end of the year.

KitGuru Says: Something like this would be great for photographers but also for smartphone power users. How much expandable storage do you currently use with your smartphone? Would you grab a 400GB microSD if you could?

The post SanDisk’s latest microSD card offers up 400GB of storage first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/sandisks-latest-microsd-card-offers-up-400gb-of-storage/feed/ 2
Western Digital officially completes SanDisk acquisition https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/western-digital-officially-completes-sandisk-acquisition/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/western-digital-officially-completes-sandisk-acquisition/#comments Mon, 16 May 2016 19:44:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=293053 It has been quite some time since we first heard that Western Digital would be acquiring SanDisk but now, WD has officially completed its purchase following on from regulator approval last week. This buyout was announced all the way back in October 2015 in a deal worth close to $19 billion. However, as The Verge …

The post Western Digital officially completes SanDisk acquisition first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
It has been quite some time since we first heard that Western Digital would be acquiring SanDisk but now, WD has officially completed its purchase following on from regulator approval last week. This buyout was announced all the way back in October 2015 in a deal worth close to $19 billion.

However, as The Verge points out, the Chinese company known as Unisplendour had planned to buy a 15 percent stake in Western Digital as part of the merger, but it later dropped out, lowering the overall value of the WD/SanDisk deal to around $16 billion.

western-digital-logo-large-e14453560377371

While this was a slight hitch in the plan, Western Digital was still confident in its decision to buy SanDisk and reaffirmed its plans to create the world's leading storage solutions company. Up until now, Western Digital has focussed on Hard Drives, which are still useful but the market has been transitioning to SSD storage for some time now.

Fortunately, SanDisk happen to make some very good SSDs, so with this acquisition, Western Digital will now have a larger place in both markets.

KitGuru Says: While Western Digital has remained successful in the HDD market for some time, SSDs are the future and with this acquisition, the company will have secured itself a place in that market. 

The post Western Digital officially completes SanDisk acquisition first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/western-digital-officially-completes-sandisk-acquisition/feed/ 2
SanDisk offers solid discounts on solid state drives https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/andrzej/sandisk-offers-solid-discounts-on-solid-state-drives/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/andrzej/sandisk-offers-solid-discounts-on-solid-state-drives/#comments Fri, 27 Nov 2015 17:45:13 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=276597 Having invented the solid state drive (SSD) in 1991, SanDisk doesn't mess around when it comes to innovation and the company has over 5,000 patents in play right now. Being the third largest flash memory manufacturer in the world, alongside a strong partnership with Toshiba, means that it's able to lead on price as well. …

The post SanDisk offers solid discounts on solid state drives first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Having invented the solid state drive (SSD) in 1991, SanDisk doesn't mess around when it comes to innovation and the company has over 5,000 patents in play right now. Being the third largest flash memory manufacturer in the world, alongside a strong partnership with Toshiba, means that it's able to lead on price as well. Black Friday's deals bear that out.

Being bought by Western Digital for $19 billion is a strong endorsement of SanDisk's brand, given that annual revenues were a little over $6.6 billion last year. That follows SanDisk's acquisition of enterprise performance enhancer Fusion-IO the year before.

Yesterday, we flagged the 512GB SanDisk X300 Enterprise Class drive that Overclockers had down from £149.99 to just £99.95 and that deal looks set to sell out anytime now.

Just as that deal expires we find more reductions – of which these appear to be the largest:-

  • 120GB SanDisk Plus SSD is down to £26.99 with an ‘on screen' voucher code on Dabs
  • 240GB SanDisk Plus is now £59.99 on eBuyer, down from £69.99
  • 480GB SanDisk Ultra II SSD is now £79.99 down from £119.99
  • 960GB SanDisk Ultra II SSD is down to £149.99 from £249.99

At those prices, you can see why WD was so keen to position itself in the SSD market. Tablets, notably the iPad, have taught all of us how to manage with less local gigabytes and to use NAS/Cloud for large scale storage. That said, there's an appeal to the immediacy of an internal drive that can't be denied – and large capacity, low cost SSDs are aimed squarely at that need.

We've seen a few comments online from people saying that many stores deals don't look like deals. That's one of the reasons we're flagging various offers for you. We can see where a genuine discount has been applied and that deserves some recognition.

As for the future, continuing innovation from companies like SanDisk, Samsung and Crucial mean that SSD is more than here to stay.

sandisk_ssd_trends

KitGuru says: Black Friday seems to be the perfect time to bring an old PC/laptop to life by installing an SSD, doing a clean install of your OS and then using your old internal drive as a backup unit – possibly in a low cost USB 3.0 external caddy. If we had a system left in the house with a mechanical drive, that's what we would do.

 

The post SanDisk offers solid discounts on solid state drives first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/andrzej/sandisk-offers-solid-discounts-on-solid-state-drives/feed/ 6
Sandisk and Gigabyte have teamed up for motherboard/SSD bundles https://www.kitguru.net/channel/matthew-wilson/sandisk-and-gigabyte-have-teamed-up-for-motherboardssd-bundles/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/matthew-wilson/sandisk-and-gigabyte-have-teamed-up-for-motherboardssd-bundles/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2015 15:19:00 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=276197 This is a big week for sales, particularly with Black Friday happening, and it seems that SanDisk and Gigabyte are fully prepared for it, with some Z170 motherboard and SSD bundles, offering pretty great value for money if you're shopping around for PC components. Right now, you can pick up a Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI and a …

The post Sandisk and Gigabyte have teamed up for motherboard/SSD bundles first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
This is a big week for sales, particularly with Black Friday happening, and it seems that SanDisk and Gigabyte are fully prepared for it, with some Z170 motherboard and SSD bundles, offering pretty great value for money if you're shopping around for PC components.

Right now, you can pick up a Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI and a 240GB, 480GB or 960GB SanDisk Ultra II SSD from Novatech for £129.99, £174.99 or £259.99 respectively.

SAN-240B-thumbnail

On their own, the SanDisk Ultra II 480GB and 960GB models cost £119.99 and £229.99, while the Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI costs £109.99 on its own. We have reviewed the Gigabyte motherboard before, praising its feature set and overclocking performance.

We haven't had a chance to review the SanDisk Ultra II ourselves just yet but we have had positive impressions of some other SSD models from the company. You can find the motherboard/SSD bundles, HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: At this point, I wouldn't want to build a new system without an SSD, so it is definitely worth looking out for deals like this. Are any of you planning a new Skylake system build? Have you had any experience with Gigabyte or SanDisk in the past?

 

The post Sandisk and Gigabyte have teamed up for motherboard/SSD bundles first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/matthew-wilson/sandisk-and-gigabyte-have-teamed-up-for-motherboardssd-bundles/feed/ 2
Western Digital is buying SanDisk for $19 billion https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/western-digital-is-buying-sandisk-for-19-billion/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/western-digital-is-buying-sandisk-for-19-billion/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2015 15:37:37 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=272527 Just after yesterday's news regarding Western Digital's talks to buy memory chip maker, SanDisk, the acquisition has been announced. WD will be taking over SanDisk for $19 billion, or $86.50 per share. The news was confirmed by Western Digital itself in a hefty press release posted online today. This acquisition is the company's next step …

The post Western Digital is buying SanDisk for $19 billion first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Just after yesterday's news regarding Western Digital's talks to buy memory chip maker, SanDisk, the acquisition has been announced. WD will be taking over SanDisk for $19 billion, or $86.50 per share. The news was confirmed by Western Digital itself in a hefty press release posted online today. This acquisition is the company's next step in to the storage solutions market on a much bigger scale.

SanDisk is the third largest manufacturer of flash memory worldwide, while Western Digital is widely known for its hard drives. Rumours of the acquisition popped up earlier this week, with a report stating that ‘advanced talks' were happening right now and a deal could be reached by the end of this week.

western-digital-logo-large-e1445356037737

While the deal is announced, it still needs to be looked at by several official parties before going ahead, including the FTC since both companies have Headquarters in California, the trade commission will judge whether or not the deal is anti-competitive.

Right now, Western Digital expects the acquisition to complete by the third quarter of next year.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is a pretty huge acquisition for Western Digital, especially with SanDisk's strong place in the flash memory market. 

The post Western Digital is buying SanDisk for $19 billion first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/western-digital-is-buying-sandisk-for-19-billion/feed/ 1
Western Digital is in ‘advanced talks’ to buy SanDisk https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/western-digital-is-in-advanced-talks-to-buy-sandisk/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/western-digital-is-in-advanced-talks-to-buy-sandisk/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2015 17:30:34 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=272372 It seems that Western Digital is in advanced talks with SanDisk regarding an acquisition. The two storage device makers could reach a deal pretty soon as well, with sources familiar with the matter claiming that everything could be official by the end of the week. Right now, Western Digital is said to be negotiating a price …

The post Western Digital is in ‘advanced talks’ to buy SanDisk first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
It seems that Western Digital is in advanced talks with SanDisk regarding an acquisition. The two storage device makers could reach a deal pretty soon as well, with sources familiar with the matter claiming that everything could be official by the end of the week. Right now, Western Digital is said to be negotiating a price between $80 and $90 per share, though right now those details are private and as a result, the sources have been kept anonymous.

The initial report comes from Bloomberg, which also notes that no agreement has been signed yet, so talks could still fall apart, though negotiations gained pace over the weekend.

sandisk_logo

Talks of SanDisk looking for a buyout have been circulating for a while, back in April we reported on analysts speculating over a potential buyout from Seagate or Western Digital. SanDisk is also said to have been in talks with Micron Technology as well, so there is potentially more going on behind the scenes than we know right now.

western-digital-logo-large

On top of all of that, since Toshiba and SanDisk have a joint venture partnership, in which SanDisk uses Toshiba's foundries, a buyout deal would need to be approved by Toshiba as well. That said, with SanDisk having such a good presence in the memory chip market, and WD being huge when it comes to PC hard drives, the two could end up making a lucrative pair.

KitGuru Says: This is potentially pretty big news, though nothing has been finalised just yet and no contracts have been signed. However, if talks are really as far along as they are rumoured to be, then we could hear more information next week. 

The post Western Digital is in ‘advanced talks’ to buy SanDisk first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/western-digital-is-in-advanced-talks-to-buy-sandisk/feed/ 3
SanDisk and Toshiba could be bought by government owned Tsinghua Unigroup https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/sandisk-and-toshiba-could-be-bought-by-government-owned-tsinghua-unigroup/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/sandisk-and-toshiba-could-be-bought-by-government-owned-tsinghua-unigroup/#respond Thu, 08 Oct 2015 21:00:20 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=271313 It looks like SanDisk and Toshiba could both be targets of a take over by the Chinese state-owned Tsinghua Unigroup, according to industry sources. SanDisk and Toshiba currently jointly create NAND flash technology, though each company currently sits on shaky ground as far as financials are concerned. In addition to that, a subsidiary of the …

The post SanDisk and Toshiba could be bought by government owned Tsinghua Unigroup first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
It looks like SanDisk and Toshiba could both be targets of a take over by the Chinese state-owned Tsinghua Unigroup, according to industry sources. SanDisk and Toshiba currently jointly create NAND flash technology, though each company currently sits on shaky ground as far as financials are concerned. In addition to that, a subsidiary of the Tsinghua Unigroup is about to acquire a 15% stake in Western Digital.

It seems that China's current ambitions lie in establishing a homegrown industry for NAND flash memory technology and storage devices. The next step is breaking in to the DRAM market, with plans to make an equity investment in Micron Technology, according to a DigiTimes report.

toshiba_3d_nand_bics_tlc_mlc

There would be difficulties in trying to partner with the US-based Micron Technology for NAND flash as the company does not own its memory process technologies, which is why Toshiba and SanDisk are being looked at to fill in that side of things.

Initially, there were plans to fully acquire Micron Technology for $23 billion but the US government stepped in and shut the deal down due to national security concerns. However, by acquiring Toshiba or SanDisk, Tsinghua Unigroup will gain access to the entire company portfolio, which will raise China's self-sufficiency rate for ICs, according to the source.

KitGuru Says: Toshiba actually owns a lot of the nuclear plant technology in use in Japan, so Tsinghua Unigroup could have a bit of a fight on its hands if it wants to fully acquire the company. It may have an easier time picking up SanDisk though. 

The post SanDisk and Toshiba could be bought by government owned Tsinghua Unigroup first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/matthew-wilson/sandisk-and-toshiba-could-be-bought-by-government-owned-tsinghua-unigroup/feed/ 0
Samsung: NAND flash industry will triple output to 253EB by 2020 https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/anton-shilov/samsung-nand-flash-industry-will-triple-output-to-253eb-by-2020/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/anton-shilov/samsung-nand-flash-industry-will-triple-output-to-253eb-by-2020/#respond Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:38:24 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=270310 Samsung Electronics predicts that the NAND flash industry will triple output of non-volatile memory over the next five years and will produce whopping 253 exabytes of NAND in 2020. Although the increase is impressive, total output of flash memory will account for less than 10 per cent of storage capacity the industry will need at …

The post Samsung: NAND flash industry will triple output to 253EB by 2020 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Samsung Electronics predicts that the NAND flash industry will triple output of non-volatile memory over the next five years and will produce whopping 253 exabytes of NAND in 2020. Although the increase is impressive, total output of flash memory will account for less than 10 per cent of storage capacity the industry will need at that time.

Samsung Electronics revealed at its SSD Global Summit 2015 that the NAND flash industry would increase production of NAND flash memory over the next five years to 253EB (exabytes, 1EB = 1 million TB = 1 billion GB), or by about three times from 84EB set to be made in 2015, reports PC Watch. Output of NAND flash bits will increase as a result of multiple factors, including new process technologies, proliferation of vertically stacked NAND flash memory production, expansion of current manufacturing facilities and introduction of new fabrication plants.

samsung_nand_exabytes
Estimated bit output of NAND flash industry

The demand growth for NAND flash bits will be driven by various mobile, consumer and wearable electronics as well as by solid-state drives used in personal computers. In fact, according to Samsung, SSDs will use more NAND flash memory bits than mobile devices starting from 2017.

samsung_ssd_vs_mobile
Usage of NAND flash memory by application

While the amount of NAND flash memory bits to be made in 2020 is impressive and the increase of total non-volatile memory capacity is remarkable, it is evident that NAND (or NAND and its successors/competitors) will account for less than 10 per cent of storage needed by the industry at that time.

According to estimates made by IDC and Western Digital in 2014, the industry will demand around 2900EB of storage in 2020. Capacity requirements will be driven by demand for enterprise storage, personal storage (NAS, personal cloud, etc.), personal computers and consumer electronics and so on.

wd_rapid_data_growth
Storage industry trends predicted by Western Digital, IDC

Based on projections by Samsung and Western Digital/IDC, capacity of hard disk drives sold in 2020 will be about nine times higher than capacity of NAND flash produced in 2020. In general, it means that HDDs will continue to account for more than 90 per cent of devices used for data storage. Moreover, keeping in mind that a state-of-the-art NAND flash manufacturing facility costs many billion of dollars, it is nearly impossible to quickly expand production of non-volatile memory to challenge HDDs in terms of supplied capacity.

While the future of both solid-state drives and hard drives in general looks good, there are a number of things that should be noted:

  • Sales of what Seagate and Western Digital call “client HDDs” have been falling for a long time, partly because of overall PC decline, partly because of slowing demand for mainstream desktops and partly because of popularization of SSDs in notebooks. According to TrendForce, 30 per cent of notebooks in 2015 will use solid-state drives instead of HDDs. By contrast, sales of consumer SSDs are strong (i.e., flat or growing), according to market analysts from TrendFocus.
  • Shipments of what hard drive producers call “enterprise HDDs” have been growing very slowly, but with introduction of models that can store 8TB or 10TB of data, it is evident that their average capacities are increasing pretty rapidly. Sales of enterprise-class SSDs are also expanding.
hdd_shipments_different_manufacturers
Note 1: Sales of enterprise HDDs do not include sales of HGST HDDs prior to Q4 FY2012 (Q2 2012). Note 2: Massive drop in HDD sales in Q2 FY2012 (Q4 2011) is a result of devastating flood in Thailand in 2011.

Given the current trends, it looks like unit shipments of hard drives will continue to decline whereas unit shipments of SSDs will increase. However, HDDs will continue to gain capacity, especially when technologies like HAMR [heat-assisted magnetic recording] and TDMR [two-dimensional magnetic recording] are introduced. Moreover, as soon as PC market hits the bottom, unit shipments of hard disk drives will likely stabilize. Since NAND flash remains considerably more expensive on per-gigabyte basis than rotating magnetic media used by HDDs, the latter will continue to store the vast majority of data in the next five years. As a result, both HDD makers and NAND flash manufacturers will continue to post increases of their revenue in the coming years.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is obvious that hard disk drives are not going anywhere and sales of Seagate and Western Digital will only grow going forward. However, it remains to be seen how many mobile PCs will continue to rely on HDDs in the future.

The post Samsung: NAND flash industry will triple output to 253EB by 2020 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/anton-shilov/samsung-nand-flash-industry-will-triple-output-to-253eb-by-2020/feed/ 0
Sales of SSDs increase by 3% in the second quarter https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/sales-of-ssds-increase-by-3-as-samsung-continues-to-dominate-the-market/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/sales-of-ssds-increase-by-3-as-samsung-continues-to-dominate-the-market/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2015 22:33:40 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=265843 Despite of the fact that sales of personal computers are decreasing, shipments of solid-state drives are rising, according to analysts from TrendFocus. Samsung continues to be the world’s largest supplier of NAND flash memory as well as solid-state drives and it is unlikely that this will change any time soon. Sales of SSDs on the second …

The post Sales of SSDs increase by 3% in the second quarter first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Despite of the fact that sales of personal computers are decreasing, shipments of solid-state drives are rising, according to analysts from TrendFocus. Samsung continues to be the world’s largest supplier of NAND flash memory as well as solid-state drives and it is unlikely that this will change any time soon.

Sales of SSDs on the second quarter of 2015 increased by 2.9 per cent quarter-over-quarter and totaled 23.859 million units, according to TrendFocus. Total SSD capacity shipped increased by 13.3 per cent quarter-over-quarter to 6.4 Exabytes, with the overall average capacity increasing to 268GB. According to Western Digital, total available market of hard disk drives dropped to 111 million units in Q2 2015.

trendfocus_ssd_mkr_q2_2015

TrendFocus notes that sales of 2.5” SSDs for notebooks declined, but shipments of Serial ATA SSDs for datacenters increased by whopping 48.6 per cent during the quarter. Sales of enterprise-class SSDs with SAS interface decreased by 10 per cent quarter-over-quarter. Shipments of solid-state drives with PCI Express interface were below 100 thousand units.

samsung_ssd_enterprise_3d_v_nand_2

Samsung remained the world’s largest supplier of solid-state drives in the world with 43.8 per cent market share. Kingston managed to significantly increase unit shipments of its SSDs and became the world’s second largest SSD supplier with 10.7 per cent market share. Despite of the fact that Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk produce around 50 per cent of the world’s NAND flash, their share in the market of SSDs is about 14 per cent. Intel Corp. remained one of the world’s largest maker of SSDs in Q2 2015, according to TrendFocus. HGST’s unit and exabyte share leads the SAS SSD market and Intel continues to dominate the enterprise PCIe market for a second quarter in a row.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is noteworthy that Seagate and Western Digital supply less than one per cent of solid-state drives. For some reason, customers of the two companies simply do not want to buy SSDs from them.

The post Sales of SSDs increase by 3% in the second quarter first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/sales-of-ssds-increase-by-3-as-samsung-continues-to-dominate-the-market/feed/ 3
Toshiba, SanDisk unveil 256Gb 48-layer BiCS NAND flash memory chip https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshiba-sandisk-unveil-256gb-48-layer-bics-nand-flash-memory-chip/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshiba-sandisk-unveil-256gb-48-layer-bics-nand-flash-memory-chip/#respond Tue, 04 Aug 2015 09:21:28 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=262022 Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk Corp. have formally introduced their first vertically stacked triple-level-cell (TLC) NAND flash memory IC [integrated circuit] with 256Gb capacity. The new 3D BiCS [bit cost scalable] NAND flash memory will be mass produced next year. Toshiba’s new 256Gb (32GB) 48-layer BiCS flash device features 3-bit-per-cell TLC (triple-level cell) architecture and can be used …

The post Toshiba, SanDisk unveil 256Gb 48-layer BiCS NAND flash memory chip first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk Corp. have formally introduced their first vertically stacked triple-level-cell (TLC) NAND flash memory IC [integrated circuit] with 256Gb capacity. The new 3D BiCS [bit cost scalable] NAND flash memory will be mass produced next year.

Toshiba’s new 256Gb (32GB) 48-layer BiCS flash device features 3-bit-per-cell TLC (triple-level cell) architecture and can be used for a wide range of applications, including consumer SSDs, smartphones, tablets, memory cards, and even enterprise SSDs for data centers. Earlier this year Toshiba introduced 128Gb 48-layer BiCS NAND flash device featuring MLC 2-bit-per-cell architecture.

toshiba_3d_nand_bics_tlc_mlc

Three-dimensional NAND flash features higher performance, longer endurance and lower per bit costs (once yields reach commercially viable levels) compared to traditional planar NAND flash memory used today. Numerous peculiarities of Toshiba’s/SanDisk’s BiCS 3D NAND architecture, such as U-shaped NAND string, enable maximum array efficiency and minimize actual chip sizes compared to competing 3D NAND architectures.

“From day one, Toshiba's strategy has been to extend our floating gate technology, which features the world's smallest 15nm 128Gb die*3,” noted Scott Nelson, senior vice president of TAEC's Memory Business Unit. “Our announcement of BiCS FLASH, the industry's first 48-layer 3D technology, is very significant in that we are enabling a competitive, smooth migration to 3D flash memory – to support the storage market's demand for ever-increasing densities.”

toshiba_sandisk_bics_3d_nand_flash_memory

Toshiba will mass produce BiCS 3D flash memory at an all-new manufacturing facility at Yokkaichi Operations. The construction of the building was completed recently and the two companies are expected to start moving in equipment in the coming weeks.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It took Samsung about a year to introduce TLC 3D V-NAND memory after it initiated mass production of MLC 3D V-NAND memory. Toshiba formally introduced its TLC BiCS 3D NAND memory only several months after it announced its MLC BiCS 3D NAND chips. While Toshiba seems to be rather aggressive when it comes to development of new memory chips, it should be noted that the company will not initiate mass production of the BiCS 3D flash earlier than in 2016.

The post Toshiba, SanDisk unveil 256Gb 48-layer BiCS NAND flash memory chip first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshiba-sandisk-unveil-256gb-48-layer-bics-nand-flash-memory-chip/feed/ 0
SanDisk is cautious about expanding NAND flash production capacities https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/sandisk-is-cautious-about-expanding-nand-flash-production-capacities/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/sandisk-is-cautious-about-expanding-nand-flash-production-capacities/#respond Sat, 01 Aug 2015 15:36:55 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=261760 In a bid not to create oversupply of NAND flash memory in the market, SanDisk Corp. will continue to cautiously expand its manufacturing capacities to sustain its profit margins. While even a minimal expansion of wafer capacities will be enough for SanDisk to fulfill demand for its products, it remains to be seen whether current …

The post SanDisk is cautious about expanding NAND flash production capacities first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
In a bid not to create oversupply of NAND flash memory in the market, SanDisk Corp. will continue to cautiously expand its manufacturing capacities to sustain its profit margins. While even a minimal expansion of wafer capacities will be enough for SanDisk to fulfill demand for its products, it remains to be seen whether current prices of NAND will allow the company to hit certain strategic goals in the coming years.

The pricing of NAND flash memory has been declining very rapidly in the recent years. According to analysts, around 30 per cent of laptops will use solid-state drives already this year and their market share is going to increase in the future. Enterprise-class solid-state drives offer capacities, which are comparable to those of hard disk drives, whereas performance of one SSD is dramatically higher than that of any HDD in RAID. In order to further bolster adoption of NAND flash-based storage devices by the industry, producers will need to decrease their prices, which is why they need to cut-down costs of DRAM. One of the ways to decrease per-device costs is to increase production. To do that, one needs to expand manufacturing capacities. However, this is something that SanDisk barely plans to do next year.

toshiba_sandisk_fab5

“We have not made a final decision for 2016 as to new wafer capacity,” said Judy Bruner, chief financial officer, during the company’s earnings conference call with investors and financial analysts. “However, it is most likely that we will add a small amount of new wafer capacity likely in the single-digit percentage range, similar to the last two years. Most likely that that will be a mix of 2D wafers and 3D wafers.”

SanDisk and Toshiba currently use fab 5 phase 1 and phase 2 to produce NAND flash memory using 15nm, 19nm and some other process technologies. According to IC Insights, the fab 5 has capacity of around 525 thousand 300mm wafer starts per month (or 6.3 million wafer starts per year, of which SanDisk controls a little less than three million). Owning the largest NAND flash fabrication plant in the industry, SanDisk and Toshiba are rather cautious about expansion of their capacities. Next year SanDisk and Toshiba will start to produce 3D NAND flash memory at a new fab, which will increase their wafer capacity and bit output.

toshiba_embedded_nand

One of SanDisk’s and Toshiba’s strategic goals is to reduce per-gigabyte pricing of SSDs to the level of advanced hard disk drives. This will drive adoption of solid-state drives by datacentres and SanDisk’s high-capacity SSDs will get considerably more popular. SanDisk plans to introduce 6TB and 8TB SSDs for datacentres next year and in order to sell a lot of them and replace advanced HDDs, it will need to make them cheaper. However, it remains to be seen whether the drives will be cheap enough if prices of NAND flash memory remain at the current levels.

sandisk_ssd_trends_1

Samsung Electronics is aggressively expanding production capacities for its NAND flash memory in a bid to grab market share away from Toshiba and SanDisk. At present the two companies still sell more NAND than Samsung, but will it take long before the South Korean giant outsells both of its rivals combined?

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Price declines open new markets, but when companies operate with minuscule profit margins, they slow-down progress. Therefore, it is generally understandable why SanDisk (and presumably Toshiba) does not want to significantly increase NAND wafer output. However, the question is, how does SanDisk plan to replace HDDs with SSDs, if it does not aggressively decrease pricing of NAND? Obviously, things like 15nm and then 12nm or 10nm process technologies as well as vertical stacking will decrease per-bit costs. But will it be enough? Only time will tell!

The post SanDisk is cautious about expanding NAND flash production capacities first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/sandisk-is-cautious-about-expanding-nand-flash-production-capacities/feed/ 0
SanDisk, Toshiba begin to purchase equipment to make BiCS 3D NAND https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/sandisk-toshiba-begin-to-purchase-equipment-to-make-bics-3d-nand/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/sandisk-toshiba-begin-to-purchase-equipment-to-make-bics-3d-nand/#respond Sat, 01 Aug 2015 13:14:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=261747 SanDisk Corp. and Toshiba Corp. are on-track to start volume shipments of products based on their BiCS [bit cost scalable] 3D NAND flash memory in 2016. Recently the two companies began to purchase equipment needed to manufacture vertically stacked NAND chips and will initiate pilot production later in 2015. Moreover, it seems that SanDisk plans …

The post SanDisk, Toshiba begin to purchase equipment to make BiCS 3D NAND first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
SanDisk Corp. and Toshiba Corp. are on-track to start volume shipments of products based on their BiCS [bit cost scalable] 3D NAND flash memory in 2016. Recently the two companies began to purchase equipment needed to manufacture vertically stacked NAND chips and will initiate pilot production later in 2015. Moreover, it seems that SanDisk plans rather rapid ramp of BiCS 3D NAND.

New fab for new memory

“We have begun our equipment purchases to support the commencement of pilot production of our 48-layer [NAND] architecture in the second half of 2015,” said Judy Bruner, chief financial officer, during the company’s earnings conference call with investors and financial analysts. “We are on track to begin using the pilot line output for product samples in 2015, and we continue to expect 3D NAND product sales to begin in 2016.”

Production of BiCS 3D NAND will start in a new fab, which construction has been completed recently. The two companies have never revealed actual production capacity of the new semiconductor fabrication plant, but indicated multiple times that its clean room space would be built in phases to align the clean room investment “with the timing of conversion of 2D NAND capacity to 3D NAND”. Actual production levels in the new fab are expected to “reflect market trends”. To build the the new semiconductor fabrication plant, SanDisk and Toshiba demolished their outdated fab 2 last year. Eventually, some of existing planar NAND capacities at fab 5 phase 1 and phase 2 will be converted to 3D NAND.

Smallest 3D NAND

The three-dimensional BiCS NAND flash structure stacks 48 layers of word lines in a 2-bit-per-cell 128Gb (16GB) device. Architectural peculiarities of BiCS 3D NAND, such as U-shaped NAND string, enable superior array efficiency compared to 3D NAND architectures from other companies. Market observers expect BiCS 3D NAND memory chips to be smaller and cheaper to make than competing 3D NAND flash memory devices. The new BiCS 3D NAND flash memory promises to increase write/erase endurance and reliability as well as to boost write speed compared to planar NAND flash.

toshiba_sandisk_bics_3d_nand_flash_memory

“The 48-layer technology provides an excellent combination of increased density, higher performance and lower power compared to 2D NAND,” said Ms. Bruner.

Rapid ramp

Initially, SanDisk will use its BiCS 3D NAND flash to produce various memory cards, but shortly after such memory will be used for client solid-state drives and embedded applications. The company will use its stacked NAND memory for enterprise-class applications later this decade.

“We plan to implement our 3D NAND first in high-capacity removable products, then client SSDs and embedded solutions, followed by enterprise SSD solutions, which have longer design and qualification periods,” said the CFO of SanDisk.

toshiba_sandisk_bics_3d_nand_flash_memory_art

According to estimates by SanDisk, 3D NAND will account from 15 to 20 per cent of NAND flash memory produced in the industry in late 2016. SanDisk expects around 15 per cent of its non-volatile memory to be 3D by the end of 2016, which indicates a very rapid ramp of the new production plant.

“Our expectation is that the industry will likely exit 2016 in the range of 15 to 20 per cent of wafer capacity on 3D NAND,” said Ms. Bruner. “Our expectation is that we will likely be around the low end of that range.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Although Toshiba and SanDisk will start volume production of vertically-stacked 3D NAND memory considerably later than Samsung Electronics, it looks like the two companies want to rather rapidly ramp up production of such memory, which will improve performance of their products.

The post SanDisk, Toshiba begin to purchase equipment to make BiCS 3D NAND first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/sandisk-toshiba-begin-to-purchase-equipment-to-make-bics-3d-nand/feed/ 0
SanDisk: SSDs will ‘rapidly replace HDDs in laptops and desktops’ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/sandisk-ssds-will-rapidly-replace-hdds-in-laptops-and-desktops/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/sandisk-ssds-will-rapidly-replace-hdds-in-laptops-and-desktops/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2015 22:55:43 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=260963 Market analysts believe that 30 per cent of notebooks this year will use solid-state drives instead of hard disk drives. SanDisk, a major maker of SSDs, thinks that eventually NAND flash-based storage devices will replace HDDs in client PCs completely. “We expect SSDs will rapidly replace HDDs in laptops and desktops,” said Sanjay Mehrotra, chief …

The post SanDisk: SSDs will ‘rapidly replace HDDs in laptops and desktops’ first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Market analysts believe that 30 per cent of notebooks this year will use solid-state drives instead of hard disk drives. SanDisk, a major maker of SSDs, thinks that eventually NAND flash-based storage devices will replace HDDs in client PCs completely.

“We expect SSDs will rapidly replace HDDs in laptops and desktops,” said Sanjay Mehrotra, chief executive officer and president of SanDisk, during the company’s earnings conference call with investors and financial analysts.

sandisk_ssd

At present around 40 per cent of business notebooks use solid-state drives, according to SanDisk. However, only 15 per cent of consumer laptops feature SSDs. Further decrease of SSD prices are expected to increase adoption of NAND flash-based storage devices by consumer mobile PCs.

“In the corporate market served by OEMs, CIOs have embraced the benefits of SSDs, resulting in an SSD attach rate to corporate notebooks that is expected to approach 40 per cent by the end of 2015,” said Mr. Mehrotra.

sandisk_ssd_ultra_II

Despite of the fact that the market of personal computers is weak, SanDisk believes that OEMs are increasing their usage of solid-state drives in order to improve potential of their notebooks. Since SSDs are smaller and consume lower amount of energy than HDDs, such storage devices may get even more popular thanks to introduction of PCs based on Intel Corp.’s “Skylake” processors and Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 10 operating system.

“Decline in unit prices of 128GB and 256GB SSDs continues to reduce the gap when compared to HDD unit prices, with the 128GB drive approaching cost parity with low-capacity HDDs,” said the CEO of SanDisk.

At present a 128GB solid-state drive in M.2 form-factor costs around $51, according to DRAMeXchange. 320GB HDDs cost about the same amount of money. A 256GB M.2 SSD costs around $91.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Without any doubts, SSDs have many advantages compared to hard disk drives. Thanks to improving capabilities of cloud services in general and cloud storage in particular, local capacity is getting less important for mobile PCs, which is why SSDs are getting more popular even in case of consumer notebooks. However, it is hard to believe that SSDs will replace HDDs any time soon.

The post SanDisk: SSDs will ‘rapidly replace HDDs in laptops and desktops’ first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/sandisk-ssds-will-rapidly-replace-hdds-in-laptops-and-desktops/feed/ 0
SanDisk plans to release 6TB and 8TB SSDs in 2016 https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/sandisk-is-developing-6tb-8tb-ssds-for-datacentres-plans-to-introduce-them-in-2016/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/sandisk-is-developing-6tb-8tb-ssds-for-datacentres-plans-to-introduce-them-in-2016/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2015 16:27:21 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=260760 SanDisk introduced the world’s first datacentre-class 4TB solid-state drives back in April, 2014. While the SSDs are available, SanDisk ships them to only one major customer today because clients, who require such high-capacity SSDs and can afford them need to qualify drives before deployment. But while 4TB SSDs are yet to become relatively popular, the …

The post SanDisk plans to release 6TB and 8TB SSDs in 2016 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
SanDisk introduced the world’s first datacentre-class 4TB solid-state drives back in April, 2014. While the SSDs are available, SanDisk ships them to only one major customer today because clients, who require such high-capacity SSDs and can afford them need to qualify drives before deployment. But while 4TB SSDs are yet to become relatively popular, the company is already developing 6TB and 8TB solutions due next year.

The SanDisk Optimus Max 4TB solid-state drive for hyperscale datacentres is designed to replace 10K and 15K rpm hard disk drives and provide unique combination of high-density storage, SSD-class performance and support for SAS infrastructure. The drive was not developed with high performance in mind: it features sequential read/write performance of up to 400MB/s and can perform 75K or 15K random read and write input/output operations per second (IOPS).

sandisk_optimus_max_ssd_4tb

At present SanDisk ships its Optimus Max 4TB solid-state drive to one of its OEM customers, whereas others are still qualifying the product. It is likely that the company will start to ship such drives in relatively high volume later this year.

“The Optimus Max SSD has become an important high capacity solution for one of our OEM customer’s all flash array offerings,” said Sanjay Mehrotra, chief executive officer and president of SanDisk, during the company’s earnings conference call with investors and financial analysts. “Several other OEM and hyperscale customers are now qualifying our 4TB enterprise SAS SSD because they see the value of reducing their total cost of acquisition and ownership by utilizing this highest capacity solution.”

sandisk_ssd_trends

Last year SanDisk implied in an interview that it might introduce solid-state drives with 6TB and 8TB capacity already in 2015, but it the company now intends to release them only in 2016. The slight delay will hardly significantly affect SanDisk’s financial performance because it takes a long time for its customers to qualify SSDs of such class.

6TB and 8TB solid-state drives are currently in development. The only thing presently known about them is that they will be based on Toshiba’s multi-level cell NAND flash memory made using 15nm fabrication technology.

“We are developing our next-generation 15nm NAND flash-based 12Gb/s SAS SSD with higher capacity and performance,” said Mr. Mehrotra. “We expect to introduce that solution to market in 2016 with revenue contribution starting in late 2016.”

While 6TB and 8TB SSDs will continue to use MLC NAND, future hyperscale SSDs from SanDisk will rely on three-dimensional (3D) vertically-stacked BiCS NAND, which is more cost-efficient to produce and which provides higher densities, performance and reliability. 3D NAND will help to drive down per-gigabyte costs of SSDs to levels comparable with enterprise-class HDDs, SanDisk and Toshiba believe.

sandisk_ssd_trends_1

SanDisk expects total available market of enterprise-class solid-state drives to increase to $8 billion in 2018 from $4 billion in 2014.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is noteworthy that while SanDisk would like to replace high-performance enterprise-class hard disk drives with solid-state drives in the next several years, the company does not want to aggressively expand its NAND flash manufacturing capacities, unlike Samsung Electronics, who is adding capacities. Basically, SanDisk slowdowns decline of per-gigabyte costs of SSDs, which slowdowns transition of datacentres to solid-state storage.

The post SanDisk plans to release 6TB and 8TB SSDs in 2016 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/sandisk-is-developing-6tb-8tb-ssds-for-datacentres-plans-to-introduce-them-in-2016/feed/ 7
SanDisk unveils new wireless flash drive for PCs and mobile devices https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/anton-shilov/sandisk-unveils-new-wireless-flash-drive-for-pcs-and-mobile-devices/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/anton-shilov/sandisk-unveils-new-wireless-flash-drive-for-pcs-and-mobile-devices/#respond Wed, 15 Jul 2015 01:34:08 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=258962 In the increasingly mobile world, it is very hard to find a storage device that is compatible with all gadgets that are in use, is not expensive, is easy to carry and to use. SanDisk has managed to create one: the SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick can store up to 128GB of data and can be used …

The post SanDisk unveils new wireless flash drive for PCs and mobile devices first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
In the increasingly mobile world, it is very hard to find a storage device that is compatible with all gadgets that are in use, is not expensive, is easy to carry and to use. SanDisk has managed to create one: the SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick can store up to 128GB of data and can be used with Apple, Amazon, Google Android and Windows devices.

The SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick flash drive uses 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi technology to connect to smartphones, tablets and personal computers, which means that it is compatible with all types of modern mobile devices from major producers. The family of SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick drives can store 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of data. The wireless pen drives feature integrated battery (which can be charged by simply plugging the device into any USB port) and can operate for up to 4.5 hours.

sandisk_wireless_usb_drive

The SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick is supported by special apps for Apple iOS, Google Android and Amazon Fire-based devices. The drives can connect to Apple Macintosh or Microsoft Windows personal computers via password-protected Wi-Fi connectivity or via a USB port.

The specially designed apps allow users of mobile devices to upload, download, save, share and play all types of content (music, video, photos, etc.) from a distance, to and from any supported device. Improved performance of the SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick allows to stream HD movies and music to up to three devices at the same time.

“The SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick is designed to give people a simple, intuitive way to save and access all of the great content they create and consume across multiple devices, without breaking the bank,” said Dinesh Bahal, vice president of product marketing at SanDisk.

sandisk_wireless_usb_drive_3

The new SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick will replace SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive product, which was released over three years ago. The new drives are smaller, lighter and faster, according to the manufacturer.

The SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick features a one year warranty and is now available at Amazon, BestBuy and SanDisk.com in the U.S. in capacities of 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB at prices ranging from $29.99 to $99.99. The new drives will hit the U.K. market in about a month time, their prices will range from £27.99 to £79.99.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: SanDisk has just updated its product, which has largely remained unique throughout its life cycle. It is unknown whether the new one is considerably better than the old one, but it will certainly remain virtually unrivaled. 

The post SanDisk unveils new wireless flash drive for PCs and mobile devices first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/anton-shilov/sandisk-unveils-new-wireless-flash-drive-for-pcs-and-mobile-devices/feed/ 0
Samsung remains No. 1 SSD supplier as sales of solid-state drives grow https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/samsung-remains-no-1-ssd-supplier-as-sales-of-solid-state-drives-grow/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/samsung-remains-no-1-ssd-supplier-as-sales-of-solid-state-drives-grow/#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2015 23:01:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=252456 Shipments of solid-state drives increased in the first quarter compared to the fourth quarter of the year, according to analysts from TrendFocus. Samsung Electronics remained the world’s largest supplier of SSDs, followed by Micron Technology and SanDisk. In the first quarter of 2015 sales of solid-state drives for client PCs grew by 3.5 per cent …

The post Samsung remains No. 1 SSD supplier as sales of solid-state drives grow first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Shipments of solid-state drives increased in the first quarter compared to the fourth quarter of the year, according to analysts from TrendFocus. Samsung Electronics remained the world’s largest supplier of SSDs, followed by Micron Technology and SanDisk.

In the first quarter of 2015 sales of solid-state drives for client PCs grew by 3.5 per cent quarter-over-quarter. Shipments of SSDs in drive form-factor decreased by 5.1 per cent sequentially, but shipments of solid-state drives in module form-factor increased by 22.4 per cent QoQ due to demand for affordable laptops.

samsung_ssd_tlc_840_evo_1

By contrast, sales of enterprise-class solid-state drives declined by 14.2 per cent sequentially because hyperscale customers acquired too many SSDS with Serial ATA interface in Q4 2014, which caused inventory carryover into the first quarter of 2015.

“We are starting to see some seasonality trends for enterprise SSDs as we have seen with enterprise HDDs in certain segments over the past couple of years,” said Mark Geenen, President of TrendFocus. “Datacenter build-outs are following a certain pattern as it relates to their storage requirements, whether it is for HDDs or SSDs.”

According to the analysts, SSDs with Serial ATA SCSI (SAS) interface continue to show good growth, with various storage networking companies staying with SAS SSDs for their storage deployments.

TrendFocus found that shipments of SSDs with PCI Express interface are also strong, but such drives yet have to find their place in the various market segments. Keeping in mind that many things about PCIe SSDs are still not standardizes, such drives are usually used in various niche segments, which are still pretty big.

ssd_mkt_share_trendfocus

Samsung remains the leading supplier of SSDs thanks to the fact that the company offers a broad lineup of solid-state drives for different applications. The manufacturer is also the world’s largest maker of NAND flash memory, hence, it is not surprising that it can develop a various drives and maintain affordable prices.

SanDisk and Micron are also major makers of NAND flash memory, but they are considerably behind Samsung Electronics when it comes to shipments of solid-state drives.

In general, about 75 per cent of the world’s SSD market are controlled by four companies, which is a clear indicator that there is a consolidation incoming.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is noteworthy that traditional makers of HDDs – Seagate and Western Digital – are still absent even from the top 10 of SSD makers. While HGST, a WD subsidiary, controls 2.6 per cent of the market, the company is focused solely on special-purpose enterprise-class drives.

The post Samsung remains No. 1 SSD supplier as sales of solid-state drives grow first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/samsung-remains-no-1-ssd-supplier-as-sales-of-solid-state-drives-grow/feed/ 6
SanDisk – ‘excellent takeover candidate’ for Seagate, WD, says analyst https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/sandisk-excellent-takeover-candidate-for-seagate-western-digital-says-analyst/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/sandisk-excellent-takeover-candidate-for-seagate-western-digital-says-analyst/#respond Mon, 06 Apr 2015 22:40:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=243809 SanDisk is one of the leading producers of NAND flash-based devices, could be an excellent acquisition target for Seagate and Western Digital, according to a financial analyst. While at present the takeover of SanDisk is a hypothetical thing, HDD makers may be very interested in acquiring a company with NAND flash production capacities. Mark Newman, …

The post SanDisk – ‘excellent takeover candidate’ for Seagate, WD, says analyst first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
SanDisk is one of the leading producers of NAND flash-based devices, could be an excellent acquisition target for Seagate and Western Digital, according to a financial analyst. While at present the takeover of SanDisk is a hypothetical thing, HDD makers may be very interested in acquiring a company with NAND flash production capacities.

Mark Newman, an analyst with Bernstein Research, said that after two consecutive quarters of guide-downs, market capitalization of SanDisk is 40 per cent below their replacement value (fabs, royalty and cash). According to the analyst, it would be cheaper to buy SanDisk at a premium rather than build own semiconductor fabs, develop products and NAND flash-related technologies.

sandisk_lightning_ssds

The market observer believes that that a number of companies that may be interested in acquiring SanDisk, reports Benzinga. Among the potential buyers, Mr. Newman notes hard drive makers Seagate Technology and Western Digital. In addition, SanDisk could be a natural fit for Micron Technology and SK Hynix. Given the agreement between Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk, it is likely that before SanDisk initiates takeover talks, it should first make an offering to its Japanese partner.

Seagate Technology and Western Digital yet have to establish positions on the market of solid-state drives. As a result, it makes a great sense for them to acquire an established player on the market of SSDs.

“With a huge cash balance, strong IP, and a vastly undervalued business in an attractive market, the company makes an obvious target for activists,” wrote Mr. Newman in an note to clients, reports Tech Trader Daily. “After further checks, we believe the NAND market is improving and that a combination of mix, business model, share loss and execution issues have conspired in SanDisk’s recent disappointment.”

seagate_ssd_3

Even though any takeover of SanDisk is a hypothetical event today, it should be noted that financial analysts sometimes report market rumours as possibilities. On the other hand, SanDisk has over two billion of dollars in cash and does not need to be acquired. Moreover, NAND flash memory will be replaced with a new type of memory technology within the next decade and investing into the company which success relies solely on NAND is not a very good thing.

“Once you buy a fab you have to use that NAND, and not all NAND is created equal,” said Richard Kugele, an analyst with Needham & Co., in a note to clients. “Some companies have better NAND from time to time (depending on success of a given product cycle, supplier-specific yield issues, etc.) […] In our view, it is unclear that NAND will be the technology going forward. Why buy a category in the final throws of its design?”

SanDisk, WD and Seagate did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The consolidation of the SSD and NAND market is a reality. However, it remains to be seen whether Seagate or Western Digital will actually buy NAND flash capacities to really enter the market of consumer SSDs. On the one hand, ability to buy NAND from different producers is a strong point of Seagate and Western Digital. On the other hand, if the companies want to maximise their SSD profits, they will need to build NAND in-house.

The post SanDisk – ‘excellent takeover candidate’ for Seagate, WD, says analyst first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/sandisk-excellent-takeover-candidate-for-seagate-western-digital-says-analyst/feed/ 0
Phison to greatly expand its SSD controller business operations this year https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/phison-to-greatly-expand-its-ssd-controller-business-operations-this-year/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/phison-to-greatly-expand-its-ssd-controller-business-operations-this-year/#comments Sat, 04 Apr 2015 11:10:37 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=243703 Phison, once an underdog on the market of controllers for solid-state drives, today is one of the leading independent designers of SSD controllers. In a bid to further strengthen its positions on the market, Phison plans to spend up to $320 million on mergers and acquisitions, build a research and development (R&D) centre in China …

The post Phison to greatly expand its SSD controller business operations this year first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Phison, once an underdog on the market of controllers for solid-state drives, today is one of the leading independent designers of SSD controllers. In a bid to further strengthen its positions on the market, Phison plans to spend up to $320 million on mergers and acquisitions, build a research and development (R&D) centre in China and emit new shares.

Nowadays Phison sells around one million of NAND flash controllers for solid-state drives per month, which is a large amount. Phison's SSD controllers are also used by Kingston, PNY, GoodRAM, Silicon Power, Patriot and Verbatim. The company ships those chips to SSD makers as well as to notebook manufacturers. In addition, Phison ships a rather massive amount of eMMC NAND flash controllers; around 80 – 90 million of such solutions are expected to ship in the second quarter.

phison_ssd_controller

Since the demand for NAND flash controllers is only going to increase, it makes a great sense to expand SSD operations for the company this year, said Khein-Seng Pua, the chairman of Phison, in an interview with DigiTimes.

In a bid to gain new partners and get additional money, Phison is considering issuing new shares through private placement later in 2015. The company's target investor or investors should be involved in the SSD field. Phison considers NAND flash chip manufacturers as well as makers of SSDs as potential investors. At present Kingston Technology is a major investor of Phison. The company also collaborates with Micron, Toshiba and SanDisk.

Right now Phison has around $320 million in cash, therefore, the company can acquire smaller developers whose products can complement Phison's solid-state drive portfolio, the chairman indicated.

In a bid to expand its customer base in China, Phison also intends to set up a research and development centre in the country and hire local R&D engineers.

kingston_v300_ssd

All of the aforementioned actions are projected to greatly expand Phison’s abilities to compete on the market of SSD and eMMC controllers. Given the trend towards consolidation of controller developers with SSD makers and NAND flash suppliers, it is a good news that Phison will remain in position to develop competitive controllers for various customers, including independent manufacturers of solid-state drives.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is noteworthy that while Phison wants to attract investments both from NAND flash chip makers as well as producers of SSDs, it is clear that the company wants to stay independent. But will it remain that way over the long-term? Only time will tell.

The post Phison to greatly expand its SSD controller business operations this year first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/anton-shilov/phison-to-greatly-expand-its-ssd-controller-business-operations-this-year/feed/ 2
Toshiba’s 48-layer BiCS 3D NAND enables fast and reliable SSDs https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshibas-new-48-layer-bics-3d-nand-opens-doors-to-fast-and-reliable-ssds/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshibas-new-48-layer-bics-3d-nand-opens-doors-to-fast-and-reliable-ssds/#comments Fri, 27 Mar 2015 14:39:09 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=242322 Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk Corp. this week said that they have finished development of vertically-stacked 3D NAND memory devices. The BiCS [bit cost scalable] NAND flash memory from the two companies will be mass-produced in 2016 and will enable new solid-state storage devices with enhanced reliability and performance. Toshiba’s three-dimensional BiCS NAND flash structure stacks …

The post Toshiba’s 48-layer BiCS 3D NAND enables fast and reliable SSDs first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk Corp. this week said that they have finished development of vertically-stacked 3D NAND memory devices. The BiCS [bit cost scalable] NAND flash memory from the two companies will be mass-produced in 2016 and will enable new solid-state storage devices with enhanced reliability and performance.

Toshiba’s three-dimensional BiCS NAND flash structure stacks 48 layers of word lines in a 2-bit-per-cell 128Gb (16GB) device. Instead of shrinking size of each cell by making it using thinner process technology, three-dimensional structures increase the amount of memory layers per device. As a result, 3D NAND allows larger areal bit densities without requiring smaller individual cells (hence, no need for leading-edge fabrication processes). The general benefits of 3D NAND flash are well-known by the industry: lower per bit costs (once yields reach commercially viable levels), higher reliability and performance.

toshiba_sandisk_bics_3d_nand_flash_memory_art

Architectural peculiarities of Toshiba’s/SanDisk’s BiCS 3D NAND, such as U-shaped NAND string, enable maximum array efficiency. The latter means that actual BiCS 3D NAND memory chips will always be smaller and cheaper to produce than competing 3D NAND flash memory devices from other manufacturers.

toshiba_sandisk_bics_3d_nand_flash_memory

The new BiCS 3D NAND flash memory enhances the reliability of write/erase endurance and boosts write speed compared to planar NAND flash. As a result, applications like solid-state drives powered by 3D NAND will be considerably more reliable than SSDs based on planar NAND made using ultra-thin process technologies.

toshiba_sandisk_bics_3d_nand_flash_memory_chips_bg

“We are very pleased to announce our second generation 3D NAND (the first generation 3D NAND by Toshiba/SanDisk was primarily intended for internal testing and development operations – KitGuru), which is a 48 layer architecture developed with our partner Toshiba,” said Dr. Siva Sivaram, executive vice president, memory technology at SanDisk. “We utilized our first generation 3D NAND technology as a learning vehicle, enabling us to develop our commercial second generation 3D NAND, which we believe will deliver compelling storage solutions for our customers.”

Toshiba and SanDisk will start production of BiCS 3D NAND memory in the first half of 2016 in the new Fab 2, which is located in Yokkaichi, Mie prefecture, Japan, once it is completed. The new type of memory will be used across a broad range of solutions, from removable products to enterprise SSDs.

Samsung Electronics has been producing its 3D V-NAND memory in high volume for about 1.5 years now. The company offers a wide range of products based on the 3D V-NAND. Recently Apple started to use Samsung’s 3D V-NAND based SSDs inside new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While Toshiba and SanDisk are somewhat late to the 3D NAND party, they have a number of architectural advantages in BiCS 3D NAND, which will likely translate into actual benefits of their commercial products. As a result, there will be another round of clashes between SSD makers in 2016, which is good for the consumer.

The post Toshiba’s 48-layer BiCS 3D NAND enables fast and reliable SSDs first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshibas-new-48-layer-bics-3d-nand-opens-doors-to-fast-and-reliable-ssds/feed/ 2
SanDisk unveils iXpand flash drive with Lightning connector for Apple devices https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/anton-shilov/sandisk-unveils-ixpand-flash-drive-for-apple-devices-with-lightning-connectors/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/anton-shilov/sandisk-unveils-ixpand-flash-drive-for-apple-devices-with-lightning-connectors/#respond Sat, 15 Nov 2014 00:00:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=221985 SanDisk Corp. this week introduced a solution that could be useful for many owners of the latest iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices with limited amount of built-in NAND flash memory. The SanDisk iXpand flash drive features the Lightning connector and can be used to store various media files saving precious storage space. SanDisk’s iXpand …

The post SanDisk unveils iXpand flash drive with Lightning connector for Apple devices first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
SanDisk Corp. this week introduced a solution that could be useful for many owners of the latest iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices with limited amount of built-in NAND flash memory. The SanDisk iXpand flash drive features the Lightning connector and can be used to store various media files saving precious storage space.

SanDisk’s iXpand flash drives are available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions; the storage devices feature Lightning as well as USB 2.0 connectors to connect to Apple’s mobile devices as well as to Mac OS X or Windows personal computers.

sandisk_ixpand

A special app that SanDisk supplies with the drive allows to quickly offload photos and videos from smartphones and tablets to free up storage space. In addition, the application – which launches when the iXpand Flash Drive is plugged into an iPhone or iPad – allows to playback videos in PC formats (AVI, WMV, MKV, MP4, MOV) on Apple iOS devices.

The iXpand sync app also supports cross-platform encryption, offering consumers the ability to transfer and access their sensitive files from iPhone, iPad, PC and Mac computers. Using the iXpand sync app, files can be password-protected on the drive directly from an iPhone or iPad and then easily decrypted on a Mac or PC and vice versa.

The iXpand Flash Drive will be available in the U.S. at Best Buy stores and at BestBuy.com. Starting November 16, Best Buy stores will exclusively offer the 32GB iXpand Flash Drive at an MSRP of $79.99. The iXpand Flash Drive is available now at SanDisk.com, and is coming soon to select retailers globally. The 16GB and 64GB capacities will be available at $59.99 and $119.99, respectively.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Keeping in mind that loads of Apple iPhones and iPads are bought with only 16GB of NAND flash storage, various ways to expand that storage inevitably get rather popular. So far, those ways either required expensive external hard drives with built-in Wi-Fi or cloud-storage. Today, there are at least two USB drives with the Lightning interface designed specifically for Apple’s mobile devices are on the market. While the iXpand drive looks rather neat, it is just too expensive. $60 for 16GB in 2014 is clearly not a good price for the consumer. But a good way for SanDisk to earn!

The post SanDisk unveils iXpand flash drive with Lightning connector for Apple devices first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/anton-shilov/sandisk-unveils-ixpand-flash-drive-for-apple-devices-with-lightning-connectors/feed/ 0
Toshiba and SanDisk will start to ship 3D V-NAND flash in 2016 https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshiba-and-sandisk-will-start-shipments-of-3d-v-nand-flash-in-2016/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshiba-and-sandisk-will-start-shipments-of-3d-v-nand-flash-in-2016/#respond Tue, 21 Oct 2014 01:32:23 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=217558 Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk Corp. will initiate volume production of 3D V-NAND flash memory only in 2016, three years after Samsung Electronics. The first samples of 3D V-NAND from the two companies will become available sometimes in the second half of next year. “Our 3D NAND technology development continues to make good progress and we …

The post Toshiba and SanDisk will start to ship 3D V-NAND flash in 2016 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk Corp. will initiate volume production of 3D V-NAND flash memory only in 2016, three years after Samsung Electronics. The first samples of 3D V-NAND from the two companies will become available sometimes in the second half of next year.

“Our 3D NAND technology development continues to make good progress and we expect to be in pilot production in the second half of 2015 with target volume production in 2016,” said Sanjay Mehrotra, chief executive officer of SanDisk, during a conference call with investors and financial analysts last week.

Multi-layer 3D V-NAND memory stacks up to 32 (in Samsung's case) NAND storage layers in one chip package. The vertical layers connected using the through-silicon-vias (TSVs) of the 3D V-NAND allow larger areal bit densities without requiring smaller individual cells (hence, no need for ultra-thin manufacturing technology), which generally means higher reliability and performance.

toshiba_embedded_nand

Samsung Electronics has been mass producing 3D V-NAND memory since 2013. Usage of 3D V-NAND allows Samsung to offer very affordable solid-state drives for entry-level market segments. Since SanDisk and Toshiba will not start mass production of their 3D V-NAND memory for several quarters, it is likely that they will not be competitive against affordable SSDs from Samsung Electronics.

Toshiba and SanDisk are about to roll-out MLC and TLC NAND flash memory produced using planar 15nm fabrication process. While the new manufacturing technology will allow to drop the price of NAND, it is likely that Samsung’s 3D V-NAND memory will still remain even cheaper in terms of per-bit cost.

According to information from market analysts, Toshiba's/SanDisk's 3D V-NAND memory will feature only up to 16 layers.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It remains to be seen whether the lack of 3D V-NAND memory in the lineup will cause market share drops for SanDisk and Toshiba.

The post Toshiba and SanDisk will start to ship 3D V-NAND flash in 2016 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshiba-and-sandisk-will-start-shipments-of-3d-v-nand-flash-in-2016/feed/ 0