This Is What The 256TB SSD From Samsung Looks Like And No, You Wont Be Able To Put It In Your Workstation Yet
Announced earlier this month, the 256TB giant Samsung's New Vision uses the new EDSFF E3.L form factor and uses an accordion structure to greatly expand the space for NAND chips.
In the year Unveiled at Flash Summit 2023, this drive for home use is undoubtedly the most powerful SSD we've ever seen. But it will probably take some time before you get the full benefits. To begin with, it has no serial number, little information about the retail price and the release date. So, it looks like a prototype device.
For reference, the largest SSD we've found so far is the 100TB Nimbus ExaDrive SSD priced at $40,000. Otherwise, the maximum capacity is around 64 GB, while most commercially available SSDs have much lower maximum capacities, such as the 16 TB Group QX SSD .
Meanwhile, many new enterprise SSDs use the E3.S form factor, but Samsung's 256TB SSD uses E3.L EDSFF, so it's slightly larger, OriginService reported. Since there is not enough space on the PCB to accommodate all 64 1TB V7 QLC NAND modules, the accordion is closed to accommodate additional NAND packages.
Rather than touting performance benefits, Samsung touts this drive as more energy-efficient. For example, the press release claims that one 25TB and 6TB SSD consumes seven times less power than eight 32TB SSDs. It is primarily intended for hyperscalers and business users who want to improve efficiency in physical space and power consumption.
It remains to be seen how useful the 256TB Samsung E3.L QLC SSD can be in a corporate environment. It's also hard to predict if this prototype will go into mass production and if it will exceed the $40,000 Nimbus price. However, the energy savings will appeal to hyperscalers willing to invest at a certain level.
