The Eurocom 780W AC Power Adapter Review: Big Power For Big Laptops
While desktop PC power supplies receive the bulk of enthusiasts’ attention for good reasons – not the least of which being the vast selection of options that comes from being a standardized part – power supplies as a whole aren’t just a concern for big PCs. With the majority of PC sales having flipped to notebook sales some years ago, notebook power supplies already lead the market in volume. And while most laptops don’t need the kind of massively powered PSUs that dominate the desktop space, even that is slowly changing as desktop replacement-class laptops increasingly grow in performance and power consumption.
Perhaps the poster-child for the high-performance, high-powered laptop is Eurocom, who has a long history of developing heavy-duty DTR laptops that are all but portable desktop systems. Following recent trends in GPU power consumption and in GPU popularity for both gaming and AI workloads, the company has been selling a range of “mobile supercomputers”, which are practically large, tailor-made laptops that rival even the best of desktop computers – and have the power requirements to match.
In order to power their own high-end laptops, Eurocom has developed a rather unusual 780W AC adapter for high-performance laptops. Intended to power the most powerful of powerful laptops, their latest power adapter can supply over three-quarters of a kilowatt of DC power; a desktop-like wattage for a desktop-like device. It’s a laptop power adapter that’s unique in its scale, and with some room to scale up even further.
| Eurocom 780W AC Adapter Power specifications |
|
| RAIL | +20V |
| MAX OUTPUT | 39A |
| 780W | |
| DIMENSIONS | 325 x 110 x 40mm, 1.38kg |
| AC INPUT | 90 - 264 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz |
| MSRP | PSU: $299, Cable: $129+ |
Eurocom has offered this adapter for a few years now. But it’s taken on a new life as more laptops have been released that use such a large adapter (or two smaller 300W-ish power adapters). And, critically, Eurocom has made additional DC cable/connector sets for other manufactuers’ laptops, significantly increasing the number of systems it’s compatible with. Currently, Eurocom offers DC cables for the following laptops:
- Alienware M17x M18x; 1x DC Cable ; w/ barrel AW connector; 193cm/6.4ft
- Alienware AREA 51m; 1x DC Cable + Splitter Box w/ 2x barrel AW connectors; 152cm/5ft
- ASUS ROG G18 Strix; GX501V; GM501; GM501GM; GX531GM; 1x DC Cable; w/ barrel ROG connector
- ASUS G703GX, GZ700GX; 1x DC Cable w/ 2x ROG barrel connectors; 152cm/5ft
- CLEVO, OriginPC, Sager, XMG, EUROCOM laptops; 1x DC Cable; w/ 4-pin round connector; 182cm / 6ft
- CLEVO X370SNx; 1x DC Cable; w/ square connector; 120cm / 3.8ft
- CLEVO X170SM/X170KM; 1x DC Cable; w/ dual square connectors; 152cm / 5ft
- Dell Precision 7720/7710; 1x DC Cable; w/ barrel Dell connector; 120cm / 3.8ft
- MSI GE76, GT76, GT77, GE78HX Raider, Titan 18HX 1x DC Cable; w/ single square connector; 120cm / 3.8ft
- MSI laptops & MSI Trident AS Gaming Desktops; 1x DC Cable; w/ 4-pin round connector; 182cm / 6ft
The Eurocom 780W AC Adapter
Externally, the Eurocom 780W AC adapter looks like a hybrid between a PC PSU and a laptop adapter. It is shaped like an oversized laptop AC adapter but has a metallic body and cooling vents/fans. Eurocom advertises that it weighs “only 1.34kg”, which is the weight of an entire 14-inch laptop by comparison, but is relatively lightweight for a PSU with that kind of power output. The company logo is debossed across the top side of the adapter, with four round anti-slip pads found at its bottom. Care needs to be taken while moving it around because the metallic edges and weight can spell trouble for wooden surfaces.
Eurocom installed a small information display on the AC adapter, which shows the current, voltage, and power output, as well as the temperature of the adapter. It is not perfectly accur... Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Posted by The Techinical Support
CXL Gathers Momentum at FMS 2024 
The CXL consortium has had a regular presence at FMS (which rechristened itself from 'Flash Memory Summit' to the 'Future of Memory and Storage' this year). Back at FMS 2022, the company had announced v3.0 of the CXL specifications. This was followed by CXL 3.1's introduction at Supercomputing 2023. Having started off as a host to device interconnect standard, it had slowly subsumed other competing standards such as OpenCAPI and Gen-Z. As a result, the specifications started to encompass a wide variety of use-cases by building a protocol on top of the the ubiquitous PCIe expansion bus. The CXL consortium comprises of heavyweights such as AMD and Intel, as well as a large number of startup companies attempting to play in different segments on the device side. At FMS 2024, CXL had a prime position in the booth demos of many vendors.
The migration of server platforms from DDR4 to DDR5, along with the rise of workloads demanding large RAM capacity (but not particularly sensitive to either memory bandwidth or latency), has opened up memory expansion modules as one of the first set of widely available CXL devices. Over the last couple of years, we have had product announcements from Samsung and Micron in this area.
SK hynix CMM-DDR5 CXL Memory Module and HMSDK
At FMS 2024, SK hynix was showing off their DDR5-based CMM-DDR5 CXL memory module with a 128 GB capacity. The company was also detailing their associated Heterogeneous Memory Software Development Kit (HMSDK) - a set of libraries and tools at both the kernel and user levels aimed at increasing the ease of use of CXL memory. This is achieved in part by considering the memory pyramid / hierarchy and relocating the data between the server's main memory (DRAM) and the CXL device based on usage frequency.
The CMM-DDR5 CXL memory module comes in the SDFF form-factor (E3.S 2T) with a PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface. The internal memory is based on 1α technology DRAM, and the device promises DDR5-class bandwidth and latency within a single NUMA hop. As these memory modules are meant to be used in datacenters and enterprises, the firmware includes features for RAS (reliability, availability, and serviceability) along with secure boot and other management features.
SK hynix was also demonstrating Niagara 2.0 - a hardware solution (currently based on FPGAs) to enable memory pooling and sharing - i.e, connecting multiple CXL memories to allow different hosts (CPUs and GPUs) to optimally share their capacity. The previous version only allowed capacity sharing, but the latest version enables sharing of data also. SK hynix had presented these solutions at the CXL DevCon 2024 earlier this year, but some progress seems to have been made in finalizing the specifications of the CMM-DDR5 at FMS 2024.
Microchip and Micron Demonstrate CZ120 CXL Memory Expansion Module
Micron had unveiled the CZ120 CXL Memory Expansion Module last year based on the Microchip SMC 2000 series CXL memory controller. At FMS 2024, Micron and Microchip had a demonstration of the module on a Granite Rapids server.
Additional insights into the SMC 2000 controller were also provided.
The CXL memory controller also incorporates DRAM die failure handling, and Microchip also provides diagnostics and debug tools to analyze failed modules. The memory controller also supports ECC, which forms part of the enterprise... Storage
Fadu's FC5161 SSD Controller Breaks Cover in Western Digital's PCIe Gen5 Enterprise Drives 
When Western Digital introduced its Ultrastar DC SN861 SSDs earlier this year, the company did not disclose which controller it used for these drives, which made many observers presume that WD was using an in-house controller. But a recent teardown of the drive shows that is not the case; instead, the company is using a controller from Fadu, a South Korean company founded in 2015 that specializes on enterprise-grade turnkey SSD solutions.
The Western Digital Ultrastar DC SN861 SSD is aimed at performance-hungry hyperscale datacenters and enterprise customers which are adopting PCIe Gen5 storage devices these days. And, as uncovered in photos from a recent Storage Review article, the drive is based on Fadu's FC5161 NVMe 2.0-compliant controller. The FC5161 utilizes 16 NAND channels supporting an ONFi 5.0 2400 MT/s interface, and features a combination of enterprise-grade capabilities (OCP Cloud Spec 2.0, SR-IOV, up to 512 name spaces for ZNS support, flexible data placement, NVMe-MI 1.2, advanced security, telemetry, power loss protection) not available on other off-the-shelf controllers – or on any previous Western Digital controllers.
The Ultrastar DC SN861 SSD offers sequential read speeds up to 13.7 GB/s as well as sequential write speeds up to 7.5 GB/s. As for random performance, it boasts with an up to 3.3 million random 4K read IOPS and up to 0.8 million random 4K write IOPS. The drives are available in capacities between 1.6 TB and 7.68 TB with one or three drive writes per day (DWPD) over five years rating as well as in U.2 and E1.S form-factors.
While the two form factors of the SN861 share a similar technical design, Western Digital has tailored each version for distinct workloads: the E1.S supports FDP and performance enhancements specifically for cloud environments. By contrast, the U.2 model is geared towards high-performance enterprise tasks and emerging applications like AI.
Without any doubts, Western Digital's Ultrastar DC SN861 is a feature-rich high-performance enterprise-grade SSD. It has another distinctive feature: a 5W idle power consumption, which is rather low by the standards of enterprise-grade drives (e.g., it is 1W lower compared to the SN840). While the difference with predecessors may be just 1W, hyperscalers deploy thousands of drives and for their TCO every watt counts.
Western Digital's Ultrastar DC SN861 SSDs are now available for purchase to select customers (such as Meta) and to interested parties. Prices are unknown, but they will depend on such factors as volumes.
Sources: Fadu, Storage Review
Storage
![TSMC to Expand Specialty Capacity by 50%, Introduce 4nm N4e Low-Power Node <p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21397/tsmc-to-expand-specialty-capacity-by-50-introduce-4nm-lowpower-node"><img src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21397/tsmc-semiconductor-fab-wafer-1-678_575px.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p><p>With all the new fabs being built in Germany and Japan, as well as the expansion of production capacity in China, TSMC is planning to extend its production capacity for specialty technologies by 50% by 2027. As disclosed by the company during its European Technology Symposium this week, TSMC expects to need to not only convert existing capacity to meet demands for specialty processes, but even build new (greenfield) fab space just for this purpose. One of the big drivers for this demand, in turn, will be TSMC's next specialty node: N4e, a 4nm-class ultra-low-power production node.</p>
<p>"In the past, we always did the review phase [for upcoming fabs], but for the first time in a long time at TSMC, we started building greenfield fab that will address the future specialty technology requirements," said Dr. Kevin Zhang, Senior Vice President, Business Development and Overseas Operations Office, at the event. "In the next four to five years, we actually going to grow our specialty capacity by up to 1.5x. In doing so we actually expanding the footprint of our manufacturing network to improve the resiliency of the overall fab supply chain."</p>
<p>On top of its well-known major logic nodes like N5 and N3E, TSMC also offers a suite of specialty nodes for applications such as power semiconductors, mixed analog I/O, and ultra-low-power applications (e.g. IoT). These are typically based on the company's trailing manufacturing processes, but regardless of the underlying technology, the capacity demand for these nodes is growing right alongside the demand for TSMC's major logic nodes. All of which has required TSMC to reevaluate how they go about planning for capacity on their specialty nodes.</p>
<p>TSMC's expansion strategy in the recent years has pursued several goals. One of them has been to build new fabs outside of Taiwan; another has been to generally expand production capacity to meet future demand for all types of process technologies – which is why the company is building up capacity for specialty nodes.</p>
<p>At present, TSMC's most advanced specialty node is N6e, an N7/N6 variant that supports operating voltages between 0.4V and 0.9V. With N4e, TSMC is looking at voltages below 0.4V. Though for now, TSMC is not disclosing much in the way of technical details for the planned node; given the company's history here, we expect they'll have more to talk about next year once the new process is ready.</p>
</p> Semiconductors](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sDl8uHLVDreFMfd87t2QJfdnNjTV9LCHg24zJzaCemcV9CO4Lfh-i0xlZ3N0arlKZ6Bo-NPs8v3QGV-PdAnuGt1hbdraRtkBgLwy6t8SlksxlA-Ibiu4h4HHd4zZCYBtgJQSh2DphU3if6qnlUMPRTuX7AfnhaCQ=w72-h72-p-k-no-nu)
CXL Gathers Momentum at FMS 2024
The CXL consortium has had a regular presence at FMS (which rechristened itself from 'Flash Memory Summit' to the 'Future of Memory and Storage' this year). Back at FMS 2022, the company had announced v3.0 of the CXL specifications. This was followed by CXL 3.1's introduction at Supercomputing 2023. Having started off as a host to device interconnect standard, it had slowly subsumed other competing standards such as OpenCAPI and Gen-Z. As a result, the specifications started to encompass a wide variety of use-cases by building a protocol on top of the the ubiquitous PCIe expansion bus. The CXL consortium comprises of heavyweights such as AMD and Intel, as well as a large number of startup companies attempting to play in different segments on the device side. At FMS 2024, CXL had a prime position in the booth demos of many vendors.
The migration of server platforms from DDR4 to DDR5, along with the rise of workloads demanding large RAM capacity (but not particularly sensitive to either memory bandwidth or latency), has opened up memory expansion modules as one of the first set of widely available CXL devices. Over the last couple of years, we have had product announcements from Samsung and Micron in this area.
SK hynix CMM-DDR5 CXL Memory Module and HMSDK
At FMS 2024, SK hynix was showing off their DDR5-based CMM-DDR5 CXL memory module with a 128 GB capacity. The company was also detailing their associated Heterogeneous Memory Software Development Kit (HMSDK) - a set of libraries and tools at both the kernel and user levels aimed at increasing the ease of use of CXL memory. This is achieved in part by considering the memory pyramid / hierarchy and relocating the data between the server's main memory (DRAM) and the CXL device based on usage frequency.
The CMM-DDR5 CXL memory module comes in the SDFF form-factor (E3.S 2T) with a PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface. The internal memory is based on 1α technology DRAM, and the device promises DDR5-class bandwidth and latency within a single NUMA hop. As these memory modules are meant to be used in datacenters and enterprises, the firmware includes features for RAS (reliability, availability, and serviceability) along with secure boot and other management features.
SK hynix was also demonstrating Niagara 2.0 - a hardware solution (currently based on FPGAs) to enable memory pooling and sharing - i.e, connecting multiple CXL memories to allow different hosts (CPUs and GPUs) to optimally share their capacity. The previous version only allowed capacity sharing, but the latest version enables sharing of data also. SK hynix had presented these solutions at the CXL DevCon 2024 earlier this year, but some progress seems to have been made in finalizing the specifications of the CMM-DDR5 at FMS 2024.
Microchip and Micron Demonstrate CZ120 CXL Memory Expansion Module
Micron had unveiled the CZ120 CXL Memory Expansion Module last year based on the Microchip SMC 2000 series CXL memory controller. At FMS 2024, Micron and Microchip had a demonstration of the module on a Granite Rapids server.
Additional insights into the SMC 2000 controller were also provided.
The CXL memory controller also incorporates DRAM die failure handling, and Microchip also provides diagnostics and debug tools to analyze failed modules. The memory controller also supports ECC, which forms part of the enterprise... Storage
Fadu's FC5161 SSD Controller Breaks Cover in Western Digital's PCIe Gen5 Enterprise Drives
When Western Digital introduced its Ultrastar DC SN861 SSDs earlier this year, the company did not disclose which controller it used for these drives, which made many observers presume that WD was using an in-house controller. But a recent teardown of the drive shows that is not the case; instead, the company is using a controller from Fadu, a South Korean company founded in 2015 that specializes on enterprise-grade turnkey SSD solutions.
The Western Digital Ultrastar DC SN861 SSD is aimed at performance-hungry hyperscale datacenters and enterprise customers which are adopting PCIe Gen5 storage devices these days. And, as uncovered in photos from a recent Storage Review article, the drive is based on Fadu's FC5161 NVMe 2.0-compliant controller. The FC5161 utilizes 16 NAND channels supporting an ONFi 5.0 2400 MT/s interface, and features a combination of enterprise-grade capabilities (OCP Cloud Spec 2.0, SR-IOV, up to 512 name spaces for ZNS support, flexible data placement, NVMe-MI 1.2, advanced security, telemetry, power loss protection) not available on other off-the-shelf controllers – or on any previous Western Digital controllers.
The Ultrastar DC SN861 SSD offers sequential read speeds up to 13.7 GB/s as well as sequential write speeds up to 7.5 GB/s. As for random performance, it boasts with an up to 3.3 million random 4K read IOPS and up to 0.8 million random 4K write IOPS. The drives are available in capacities between 1.6 TB and 7.68 TB with one or three drive writes per day (DWPD) over five years rating as well as in U.2 and E1.S form-factors.
While the two form factors of the SN861 share a similar technical design, Western Digital has tailored each version for distinct workloads: the E1.S supports FDP and performance enhancements specifically for cloud environments. By contrast, the U.2 model is geared towards high-performance enterprise tasks and emerging applications like AI.
Without any doubts, Western Digital's Ultrastar DC SN861 is a feature-rich high-performance enterprise-grade SSD. It has another distinctive feature: a 5W idle power consumption, which is rather low by the standards of enterprise-grade drives (e.g., it is 1W lower compared to the SN840). While the difference with predecessors may be just 1W, hyperscalers deploy thousands of drives and for their TCO every watt counts.
Western Digital's Ultrastar DC SN861 SSDs are now available for purchase to select customers (such as Meta) and to interested parties. Prices are unknown, but they will depend on such factors as volumes.
Sources: Fadu, Storage Review
Storage
![](https://twitter.com/share?url=https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-eurocom-780w-ac-power-adapter_30.html&text=The Eurocom 780W AC Power Adapter Review: Big Power For Big Laptops <p>While desktop PC power supplies receive the bulk of enthusiasts’ attention for good reasons – not the least of which being the vast selection of options that comes from being a standardized part – power supplies as a whole aren’t just a concern for big PCs. With the majority of PC sales having flipped to notebook sales some years ago, notebook power supplies already lead the market in volume. And while <em>most</em> laptops don’t need the kind of massively powered PSUs that dominate the desktop space, even that is slowly changing as desktop replacement-class laptops increasingly grow in performance and power consumption.</p>
<p>Perhaps the poster-child for the high-performance, high-powered laptop is Eurocom, who has a long history of developing heavy-duty DTR laptops that are all but portable desktop systems. Following recent trends in GPU power consumption and in GPU popularity for both gaming and AI workloads, the company has been selling a range of “mobile supercomputers”, which are practically large, tailor-made laptops that rival even the best of desktop computers – and have the power requirements to match.</p>
<p>In order to power their own high-end laptops, Eurocom has developed a rather unusual 780W AC adapter for high-performance laptops. Intended to power the most powerful of powerful laptops, their latest power adapter can supply over three-quarters of a kilowatt of DC power; a desktop-like wattage for a desktop-like device. It’s a laptop power adapter that’s unique in its scale, and with some room to scale up even further.</p>
<table border="0" style="text-align:center" width="88%">
<tbody>
<tr class="tgrey">
<td colspan="2">Eurocom 780W AC Adapter<br />
Power specifications</td>
</tr>
<tr class="tlblue">
<td>RAIL</td>
<td>+20V</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" rowspan="2">MAX OUTPUT</td>
<td>39A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>780W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">DIMENSIONS</td>
<td>325 x 110 x 40mm, 1.38kg</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">AC INPUT</td>
<td>90 - 264 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">MSRP</td>
<td>PSU: <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/configure(2,404,0)780W">$299</a>, Cable: <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/pricelist(2,404)780W">$129+</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Eurocom has offered this adapter for a few years now. But it’s taken on a new life as more laptops have been released that use such a large adapter (or two smaller 300W-ish power adapters). And, critically, Eurocom has <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/release(409)ec">made additional DC cable/connector sets for other manufactuers’ laptops</a>, significantly increasing the number of systems it’s compatible with. Currently, Eurocom offers DC cables for the following laptops:</p>
<ul>
<li>Alienware M17x M18x; 1x DC Cable ; w/ barrel AW connector; 193cm/6.4ft </li>
<li>Alienware AREA 51m; 1x DC Cable + Splitter Box w/ 2x barrel AW connectors; 152cm/5ft </li>
<li>ASUS ROG G18 Strix; GX501V; GM501; GM501GM; GX531GM; 1x DC Cable; w/ barrel ROG connector </li>
<li>ASUS G703GX, GZ700GX; 1x DC Cable w/ 2x ROG barrel connectors; 152cm/5ft </li>
<li>CLEVO, OriginPC, Sager, XMG, EUROCOM laptops; 1x DC Cable; w/ 4-pin round connector; 182cm / 6ft </li>
<li>CLEVO X370SNx; 1x DC Cable; w/ square connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>CLEVO X170SM/X170KM; 1x DC Cable; w/ dual square connectors; 152cm / 5ft </li>
<li>Dell Precision 7720/7710; 1x DC Cable; w/ barrel Dell connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>MSI GE76, GT76, GT77, GE78HX Raider, Titan 18HX 1x DC Cable; w/ single square connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>MSI laptops & MSI Trident AS Gaming Desktops; 1x DC Cable; w/ 4-pin round connector; 182cm / 6ft </li>
</ul>
<h2>The Eurocom 780W AC Adapter</h2>
<p>Externally, the Eurocom 780W AC adapter looks like a hybrid between a PC PSU and a laptop adapter. It is shaped like an oversized laptop AC adapter but has a metallic body and cooling vents/fans. Eurocom advertises that it weighs “only 1.34kg”, which is the weight of an entire 14-inch laptop by comparison, but is relatively lightweight for a PSU with that kind of power output. The company logo is debossed across the top side of the adapter, with four round anti-slip pads found at its bottom. Care needs to be taken while moving it around because the metallic edges and weight can spell trouble for wooden surfaces.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21331/the-eurocom-780w-ac-power-adapter-review-big-power-for-big-laptops"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21331/EUROCOM_780W_AC_DC_ADAPTER_01b_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>Eurocom installed a small information display on the AC adapter, which shows the current, voltage, and power output, as well as the temperature of the adapter. It is not perfectly accur... Cases/Cooling/PSUs){kind=link}
![](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-eurocom-780w-ac-power-adapter_30.html&media=https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tmpjA7ildIzzzOVMuWY3jeYdoexWu_sdq1-jp8YhEaKl9U_uti0VT7GyTueyg8Vurrhk8562xp0zqaI3PFhlXVpcWGfQm4RNcfgqsca-lo69xoSpZdRr7VI1B8LNvmCA7LZuZp8cOIvba0UnGWnGHuUB9W&description=The Eurocom 780W AC Power Adapter Review: Big Power For Big Laptops <p>While desktop PC power supplies receive the bulk of enthusiasts’ attention for good reasons – not the least of which being the vast selection of options that comes from being a standardized part – power supplies as a whole aren’t just a concern for big PCs. With the majority of PC sales having flipped to notebook sales some years ago, notebook power supplies already lead the market in volume. And while <em>most</em> laptops don’t need the kind of massively powered PSUs that dominate the desktop space, even that is slowly changing as desktop replacement-class laptops increasingly grow in performance and power consumption.</p>
<p>Perhaps the poster-child for the high-performance, high-powered laptop is Eurocom, who has a long history of developing heavy-duty DTR laptops that are all but portable desktop systems. Following recent trends in GPU power consumption and in GPU popularity for both gaming and AI workloads, the company has been selling a range of “mobile supercomputers”, which are practically large, tailor-made laptops that rival even the best of desktop computers – and have the power requirements to match.</p>
<p>In order to power their own high-end laptops, Eurocom has developed a rather unusual 780W AC adapter for high-performance laptops. Intended to power the most powerful of powerful laptops, their latest power adapter can supply over three-quarters of a kilowatt of DC power; a desktop-like wattage for a desktop-like device. It’s a laptop power adapter that’s unique in its scale, and with some room to scale up even further.</p>
<table border="0" style="text-align:center" width="88%">
<tbody>
<tr class="tgrey">
<td colspan="2">Eurocom 780W AC Adapter<br />
Power specifications</td>
</tr>
<tr class="tlblue">
<td>RAIL</td>
<td>+20V</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" rowspan="2">MAX OUTPUT</td>
<td>39A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>780W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">DIMENSIONS</td>
<td>325 x 110 x 40mm, 1.38kg</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">AC INPUT</td>
<td>90 - 264 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">MSRP</td>
<td>PSU: <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/configure(2,404,0)780W">$299</a>, Cable: <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/pricelist(2,404)780W">$129+</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Eurocom has offered this adapter for a few years now. But it’s taken on a new life as more laptops have been released that use such a large adapter (or two smaller 300W-ish power adapters). And, critically, Eurocom has <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/release(409)ec">made additional DC cable/connector sets for other manufactuers’ laptops</a>, significantly increasing the number of systems it’s compatible with. Currently, Eurocom offers DC cables for the following laptops:</p>
<ul>
<li>Alienware M17x M18x; 1x DC Cable ; w/ barrel AW connector; 193cm/6.4ft </li>
<li>Alienware AREA 51m; 1x DC Cable + Splitter Box w/ 2x barrel AW connectors; 152cm/5ft </li>
<li>ASUS ROG G18 Strix; GX501V; GM501; GM501GM; GX531GM; 1x DC Cable; w/ barrel ROG connector </li>
<li>ASUS G703GX, GZ700GX; 1x DC Cable w/ 2x ROG barrel connectors; 152cm/5ft </li>
<li>CLEVO, OriginPC, Sager, XMG, EUROCOM laptops; 1x DC Cable; w/ 4-pin round connector; 182cm / 6ft </li>
<li>CLEVO X370SNx; 1x DC Cable; w/ square connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>CLEVO X170SM/X170KM; 1x DC Cable; w/ dual square connectors; 152cm / 5ft </li>
<li>Dell Precision 7720/7710; 1x DC Cable; w/ barrel Dell connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>MSI GE76, GT76, GT77, GE78HX Raider, Titan 18HX 1x DC Cable; w/ single square connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>MSI laptops & MSI Trident AS Gaming Desktops; 1x DC Cable; w/ 4-pin round connector; 182cm / 6ft </li>
</ul>
<h2>The Eurocom 780W AC Adapter</h2>
<p>Externally, the Eurocom 780W AC adapter looks like a hybrid between a PC PSU and a laptop adapter. It is shaped like an oversized laptop AC adapter but has a metallic body and cooling vents/fans. Eurocom advertises that it weighs “only 1.34kg”, which is the weight of an entire 14-inch laptop by comparison, but is relatively lightweight for a PSU with that kind of power output. The company logo is debossed across the top side of the adapter, with four round anti-slip pads found at its bottom. Care needs to be taken while moving it around because the metallic edges and weight can spell trouble for wooden surfaces.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21331/the-eurocom-780w-ac-power-adapter-review-big-power-for-big-laptops"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21331/EUROCOM_780W_AC_DC_ADAPTER_01b_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>Eurocom installed a small information display on the AC adapter, which shows the current, voltage, and power output, as well as the temperature of the adapter. It is not perfectly accur... Cases/Cooling/PSUs){kind=link}
![](https://web.whatsapp.com/send?text=The Eurocom 780W AC Power Adapter Review: Big Power For Big Laptops <p>While desktop PC power supplies receive the bulk of enthusiasts’ attention for good reasons – not the least of which being the vast selection of options that comes from being a standardized part – power supplies as a whole aren’t just a concern for big PCs. With the majority of PC sales having flipped to notebook sales some years ago, notebook power supplies already lead the market in volume. And while <em>most</em> laptops don’t need the kind of massively powered PSUs that dominate the desktop space, even that is slowly changing as desktop replacement-class laptops increasingly grow in performance and power consumption.</p>
<p>Perhaps the poster-child for the high-performance, high-powered laptop is Eurocom, who has a long history of developing heavy-duty DTR laptops that are all but portable desktop systems. Following recent trends in GPU power consumption and in GPU popularity for both gaming and AI workloads, the company has been selling a range of “mobile supercomputers”, which are practically large, tailor-made laptops that rival even the best of desktop computers – and have the power requirements to match.</p>
<p>In order to power their own high-end laptops, Eurocom has developed a rather unusual 780W AC adapter for high-performance laptops. Intended to power the most powerful of powerful laptops, their latest power adapter can supply over three-quarters of a kilowatt of DC power; a desktop-like wattage for a desktop-like device. It’s a laptop power adapter that’s unique in its scale, and with some room to scale up even further.</p>
<table border="0" style="text-align:center" width="88%">
<tbody>
<tr class="tgrey">
<td colspan="2">Eurocom 780W AC Adapter<br />
Power specifications</td>
</tr>
<tr class="tlblue">
<td>RAIL</td>
<td>+20V</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" rowspan="2">MAX OUTPUT</td>
<td>39A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>780W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">DIMENSIONS</td>
<td>325 x 110 x 40mm, 1.38kg</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">AC INPUT</td>
<td>90 - 264 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">MSRP</td>
<td>PSU: <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/configure(2,404,0)780W">$299</a>, Cable: <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/pricelist(2,404)780W">$129+</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Eurocom has offered this adapter for a few years now. But it’s taken on a new life as more laptops have been released that use such a large adapter (or two smaller 300W-ish power adapters). And, critically, Eurocom has <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/release(409)ec">made additional DC cable/connector sets for other manufactuers’ laptops</a>, significantly increasing the number of systems it’s compatible with. Currently, Eurocom offers DC cables for the following laptops:</p>
<ul>
<li>Alienware M17x M18x; 1x DC Cable ; w/ barrel AW connector; 193cm/6.4ft </li>
<li>Alienware AREA 51m; 1x DC Cable + Splitter Box w/ 2x barrel AW connectors; 152cm/5ft </li>
<li>ASUS ROG G18 Strix; GX501V; GM501; GM501GM; GX531GM; 1x DC Cable; w/ barrel ROG connector </li>
<li>ASUS G703GX, GZ700GX; 1x DC Cable w/ 2x ROG barrel connectors; 152cm/5ft </li>
<li>CLEVO, OriginPC, Sager, XMG, EUROCOM laptops; 1x DC Cable; w/ 4-pin round connector; 182cm / 6ft </li>
<li>CLEVO X370SNx; 1x DC Cable; w/ square connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>CLEVO X170SM/X170KM; 1x DC Cable; w/ dual square connectors; 152cm / 5ft </li>
<li>Dell Precision 7720/7710; 1x DC Cable; w/ barrel Dell connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>MSI GE76, GT76, GT77, GE78HX Raider, Titan 18HX 1x DC Cable; w/ single square connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>MSI laptops & MSI Trident AS Gaming Desktops; 1x DC Cable; w/ 4-pin round connector; 182cm / 6ft </li>
</ul>
<h2>The Eurocom 780W AC Adapter</h2>
<p>Externally, the Eurocom 780W AC adapter looks like a hybrid between a PC PSU and a laptop adapter. It is shaped like an oversized laptop AC adapter but has a metallic body and cooling vents/fans. Eurocom advertises that it weighs “only 1.34kg”, which is the weight of an entire 14-inch laptop by comparison, but is relatively lightweight for a PSU with that kind of power output. The company logo is debossed across the top side of the adapter, with four round anti-slip pads found at its bottom. Care needs to be taken while moving it around because the metallic edges and weight can spell trouble for wooden surfaces.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21331/the-eurocom-780w-ac-power-adapter-review-big-power-for-big-laptops"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21331/EUROCOM_780W_AC_DC_ADAPTER_01b_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>Eurocom installed a small information display on the AC adapter, which shows the current, voltage, and power output, as well as the temperature of the adapter. It is not perfectly accur... Cases/Cooling/PSUs | https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-eurocom-780w-ac-power-adapter_30.html){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=The Eurocom 780W AC Power Adapter Review: Big Power For Big Laptops <p>While desktop PC power supplies receive the bulk of enthusiasts’ attention for good reasons – not the least of which being the vast selection of options that comes from being a standardized part – power supplies as a whole aren’t just a concern for big PCs. With the majority of PC sales having flipped to notebook sales some years ago, notebook power supplies already lead the market in volume. And while <em>most</em> laptops don’t need the kind of massively powered PSUs that dominate the desktop space, even that is slowly changing as desktop replacement-class laptops increasingly grow in performance and power consumption.</p>
<p>Perhaps the poster-child for the high-performance, high-powered laptop is Eurocom, who has a long history of developing heavy-duty DTR laptops that are all but portable desktop systems. Following recent trends in GPU power consumption and in GPU popularity for both gaming and AI workloads, the company has been selling a range of “mobile supercomputers”, which are practically large, tailor-made laptops that rival even the best of desktop computers – and have the power requirements to match.</p>
<p>In order to power their own high-end laptops, Eurocom has developed a rather unusual 780W AC adapter for high-performance laptops. Intended to power the most powerful of powerful laptops, their latest power adapter can supply over three-quarters of a kilowatt of DC power; a desktop-like wattage for a desktop-like device. It’s a laptop power adapter that’s unique in its scale, and with some room to scale up even further.</p>
<table border="0" style="text-align:center" width="88%">
<tbody>
<tr class="tgrey">
<td colspan="2">Eurocom 780W AC Adapter<br />
Power specifications</td>
</tr>
<tr class="tlblue">
<td>RAIL</td>
<td>+20V</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey" rowspan="2">MAX OUTPUT</td>
<td>39A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>780W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">DIMENSIONS</td>
<td>325 x 110 x 40mm, 1.38kg</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">AC INPUT</td>
<td>90 - 264 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tlgrey">MSRP</td>
<td>PSU: <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/configure(2,404,0)780W">$299</a>, Cable: <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/pricelist(2,404)780W">$129+</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Eurocom has offered this adapter for a few years now. But it’s taken on a new life as more laptops have been released that use such a large adapter (or two smaller 300W-ish power adapters). And, critically, Eurocom has <a href="https://eurocom.com/ec/release(409)ec">made additional DC cable/connector sets for other manufactuers’ laptops</a>, significantly increasing the number of systems it’s compatible with. Currently, Eurocom offers DC cables for the following laptops:</p>
<ul>
<li>Alienware M17x M18x; 1x DC Cable ; w/ barrel AW connector; 193cm/6.4ft </li>
<li>Alienware AREA 51m; 1x DC Cable + Splitter Box w/ 2x barrel AW connectors; 152cm/5ft </li>
<li>ASUS ROG G18 Strix; GX501V; GM501; GM501GM; GX531GM; 1x DC Cable; w/ barrel ROG connector </li>
<li>ASUS G703GX, GZ700GX; 1x DC Cable w/ 2x ROG barrel connectors; 152cm/5ft </li>
<li>CLEVO, OriginPC, Sager, XMG, EUROCOM laptops; 1x DC Cable; w/ 4-pin round connector; 182cm / 6ft </li>
<li>CLEVO X370SNx; 1x DC Cable; w/ square connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>CLEVO X170SM/X170KM; 1x DC Cable; w/ dual square connectors; 152cm / 5ft </li>
<li>Dell Precision 7720/7710; 1x DC Cable; w/ barrel Dell connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>MSI GE76, GT76, GT77, GE78HX Raider, Titan 18HX 1x DC Cable; w/ single square connector; 120cm / 3.8ft </li>
<li>MSI laptops & MSI Trident AS Gaming Desktops; 1x DC Cable; w/ 4-pin round connector; 182cm / 6ft </li>
</ul>
<h2>The Eurocom 780W AC Adapter</h2>
<p>Externally, the Eurocom 780W AC adapter looks like a hybrid between a PC PSU and a laptop adapter. It is shaped like an oversized laptop AC adapter but has a metallic body and cooling vents/fans. Eurocom advertises that it weighs “only 1.34kg”, which is the weight of an entire 14-inch laptop by comparison, but is relatively lightweight for a PSU with that kind of power output. The company logo is debossed across the top side of the adapter, with four round anti-slip pads found at its bottom. Care needs to be taken while moving it around because the metallic edges and weight can spell trouble for wooden surfaces.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21331/the-eurocom-780w-ac-power-adapter-review-big-power-for-big-laptops"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21331/EUROCOM_780W_AC_DC_ADAPTER_01b_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>Eurocom installed a small information display on the AC adapter, which shows the current, voltage, and power output, as well as the temperature of the adapter. It is not perfectly accur... Cases/Cooling/PSUs&body=https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-eurocom-780w-ac-power-adapter_30.html){kind=link}
Samsung's 128 TB-Class BM1743 Enterprise SSD Displayed at FMS 2024 
Samsung had quietly launched its BM1743 enterprise QLC SSD last month with a hefty 61.44 TB SKU. At FMS 2024, the company had the even larger 122.88 TB version of that SSD on display, alongside a few recorded benchmarking sessions. Compared to the previous generation, the BM1743 comes with a 4.1x improvement in I/O performance, improvement in data retention, and a 45% improvement in power efficiency for sequential writes.
The 128 TB-class QLC SSD boasts of sequential read speeds of 7.5 GBps and write speeds of 3 GBps. Random reads come in at 1.6 M IOPS, while 16 KB random writes clock in at 45K IOPS. Based on the quoted random write access granularity, it appears that Samsung is using a 16 KB indirection unit (IU) to optimize flash management. This is similar to the strategy adopted by Solidigm with IUs larger than 4K in their high-capacity SSDs.
A recorded benchmark session on the company's PM9D3a 8-channel Gen 5 SSD was also on display.
The SSD family is being promoted as a mainstream option for datacenters, and boasts of sequential reads up to 12 GBps and writes up to 6.8 GBps. Random reads clock in at 2 M IOPS, and random writes at 400 K IOPS.
Available in multiple form-factors up to 32 TB (M.2 tops out at 2 TB), the drive's firmware includes optional support for flexible data placement (FDP) to help address the write amplification aspect.
The PM1753 is the current enterprise SSD flagship in Samsung's lineup. With support for 16 NAND channels and capacities up to 32 TB, this U.2 / E3.S SSD has advertised sequential read and write speeds of 14.8 GBps and 11 GBps respectively. Random reads and writes for 4 KB accesses are listed at 3.4 M and 600 K IOPS.
Samsung claims a 1.7x performance improvement and a 1.7x power efficiency improvement over the previous generation (PM1743), making this TLC SSD suitable for AI servers.
The 9th Gen. V-NAND wafer was also available for viewing, though photography was prohibited. Mass production of this flash memory began in April 2024.
Storage
Kioxia Details BiCS 8 NAND at FMS 2024: 218 Layers With Superior Scaling 
Kioxia's booth at FMS 2024 was a busy one with multiple technology demonstrations keeping visitors occupied. A walk-through of the BiCS 8 manufacturing process was the first to grab my attention. Kioxia and Western Digital announced the sampling of BiCS 8 in March 2023. We had touched briefly upon its CMOS Bonded Array (CBA) scheme in our coverage of Kioxial's 2Tb QLC NAND device and coverage of Western Digital's 128 TB QLC enterprise SSD proof-of-concept demonstration. At Kioxia's booth, we got more insights.
Traditionally, fabrication of flash chips involved placement of the associate logic circuitry (CMOS process) around the periphery of the flash array. The process then moved on to putting the CMOS under the cell array, but the wafer development process was serialized with the CMOS logic getting fabricated first followed by the cell array on top. However, this has some challenges because the cell array requires a high-temperature processing step to ensure higher reliability that can be detrimental to the health of the CMOS logic. Thanks to recent advancements in wafer bonding techniques, the new CBA process allows the CMOS wafer and cell array wafer to be processed independently in parallel and then pieced together, as shown in the models above.
The BiCS 8 3D NAND incorporates 218 layers, compared to 112 layers in BiCS 5 and 162 layers in BiCS 6. The company decided to skip over BiCS 7 (or, rather, it was probably a short-lived generation meant as an internal test vehicle). The generation retains the four-plane charge trap structure of BiCS 6. In its TLC avatar, it is available as a 1 Tbit device. The QLC version is available in two capacities - 1 Tbit and 2 Tbit.
Kioxia also noted that while the number of layers (218) doesn't compare favorably with the latest layer counts from the competition, its lateral scaling / cell shrinkage has enabled it to be competitive in terms of bit density as well as operating speeds (3200 MT/s). For reference, the latest shipping NAND from Micron - the G9 - has 276 layers with a bit density in TLC mode of 21 Gbit/mm2, and operates at up to 3600 MT/s. However, its 232L NAND operates only up to 2400 MT/s and has a bit density of 14.6 Gbit/mm2.
It must be noted that the CBA hybrid bonding process has advantages over the current processes used by other vendors - including Micron's CMOS under array (CuA) and SK hynix's 4D PUC (periphery-under-chip) developed in the late 2010s. It is expected that other NAND vendors will also move eventually to some variant of the hybrid bonding scheme used by Kioxia.
Storage
ASMedia Preps USB4 v2 Controller and PHY 
The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) introduced USB4 version 2.0 in fall 2022, and it expects systems and devices with the tech to emerge later this year and into next year. These upcoming products will largely rely on Intel's Barlow Ridge controller, a full-featured Thunderbolt 5 controller that goes above and beond the baseline USB4 v2 spec. And though extremely capable, Intel's Thunderbolt controllers are also quite expensive, and Barlow Ridge isn't expected to be any different. Fortunately, for system and device vendors that just need a basic USB4 v2 solution, ASMedia is also working on its own USB4 v2 controller.
At Computex 2024, ASMedia demonstrated a prototype of its upcoming USB4 v2 physical interface (PHY), which will support USB4 v2's new Gen 4 (160Gbps) data rates and the associated PAM-3 signal encoding. The prototype was implemented using an FPGA, as the company yet has to tape out the completed controller.
Ultimately, the purpose of showing off a FPGA-based PHY at Computex was to allow ASMedia to demonstrate their current PHY design. With the shift to PAM-3 encoding for USB4 v2, ASMedia (and the rest of the USB ecosystem) must develop significantly more complex controllers – and there's no part of that more critical than a solid and reliable PHY design.
As part of their demonstration, ASMedia had a classic eye diagram display. The eye diagram demoed has a clear opening in the center, which is indicative of good signal integrity, as the larger the eye opening, the less distortion and noise in the signal. The horizontal width of the eye opening represents the time window in which the signal can be sampled correctly, so the relatively narrow horizontal spread of the eye opening suggests that there is minimal jitter, meaning the signal transitions are consistent and predictable. Finally, the vertical height of the eye opening indicates the signal amplitude and the rather tall eye opening suggests a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), meaning that the signal is strong compared to any noise present.
ASMedia itself is one of the major suppliers for discrete USB controllers, so the availability of ASMedia's USB4 v2 chip is crucial for adoption of the standard in general. While Intel will spearhead the industry with their Barlow Ridge Thunderbolt 5/USB4 v2 controller, ASMedia's controller is poised to end up in a far larger range of devices. So the importance of the company's USB4 v2 PHY demo is hard to overstate.
Demos aside, ASMedia is hoping to tape the chip out soon. If all goes well, the company expects their first USB4 v2 controllers to hit the market some time in the second half of 2025.
Peripherals
Realtek Outlines SSD Controller Roadmap: High-End PCIe 5.0 x4 Platform in the Works 
While Realtek is best known in the enthusiast space for for its peripheral controllers such as audio codecs and network controllers, the company also has a small-but-respectable SSD controller business that tends to fly under the radar due to its focus on entry-level and mainstream drives. But Realtek's stature in the SSD space is on the rise, as the company is not only planning new PCIe Gen5 SSD controllers, but also their first high-end, DRAM-equipped SSD controller.
For this year's Computex trade show, Realtek laid out a new SSD controller roadmap that calls for the company to release a trio of new SSD controllers over the next couple of years. First up is a new four-channel entry-level PCIe 4.0 controller, the RTS5776DL, which will be joined a bit later by a PCIe 5.0 variant, the RTS5781DL. But most interesting on Realtek's new roadmap is the final chip being planned: the eight-channel, DRAM-equipped RTS5782, which would be the company's first high-end SSD controller, capable of hitting sequential read rates as high as 14GB/second.
| Realtek NVMe SSD Controller Comparison | |||||||||
| RTS5782 | RTS5781DL | RTS5776DL | RTS5772DL | RTS5766DL | |||||
| Market Segment | High-End | Mainstream | Entry-Level | ||||||
| Error Correction | 4K LDPC | 2K LDPC | |||||||
| DRAM | DDR4, LPDDR4(X) | No | No | No | No | ||||
| Host Interface | PCIe 5.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 3.0 x4 | ||||
| NVMe Version | NVMe 2.0 | NVMe 2.0 | NVMe 2.0 | NVMe 1.4 | NVMe 1.4 | ||||
| NAND Channels, Interface Speed | 8 ch, 3600 MT/s |
4 ch, 3600 MT/s |
4 ch, 3600 MT/s |
8 ch, 1600 MT/s |
4 ch, 1200 MT/s |
||||
| Sequential Read | 14 GB/s | 10 GB/s | 7.4 GB/s | 6 GB/s | 3.2 GB/s | ||||
| Sequential Write | 12 GB/s | 10 GB/s | 7.4 GB/s | 6 GB/s | 2.2 GB/s | ||||
| 4KB Random Read IOPS | 2500k | 1400k | 1200k | - | - | ||||
| 4KB Random Write IOPS | 2500k | 1400k | 1200k | - | - | ||||
Diving a bit deeper into Realtek's roadmap, the RTS5776DL is traditional DRAM-less PCIe Gen4 x4 controller with four NAND chann... SSDs
Kioxia Details BiCS 8 NAND at FMS 2024: 218 Layers With Superior Scaling
Kioxia's booth at FMS 2024 was a busy one with multiple technology demonstrations keeping visitors occupied. A walk-through of the BiCS 8 manufacturing process was the first to grab my attention. Kioxia and Western Digital announced the sampling of BiCS 8 in March 2023. We had touched briefly upon its CMOS Bonded Array (CBA) scheme in our coverage of Kioxial's 2Tb QLC NAND device and coverage of Western Digital's 128 TB QLC enterprise SSD proof-of-concept demonstration. At Kioxia's booth, we got more insights.
Traditionally, fabrication of flash chips involved placement of the associate logic circuitry (CMOS process) around the periphery of the flash array. The process then moved on to putting the CMOS under the cell array, but the wafer development process was serialized with the CMOS logic getting fabricated first followed by the cell array on top. However, this has some challenges because the cell array requires a high-temperature processing step to ensure higher reliability that can be detrimental to the health of the CMOS logic. Thanks to recent advancements in wafer bonding techniques, the new CBA process allows the CMOS wafer and cell array wafer to be processed independently in parallel and then pieced together, as shown in the models above.
The BiCS 8 3D NAND incorporates 218 layers, compared to 112 layers in BiCS 5 and 162 layers in BiCS 6. The company decided to skip over BiCS 7 (or, rather, it was probably a short-lived generation meant as an internal test vehicle). The generation retains the four-plane charge trap structure of BiCS 6. In its TLC avatar, it is available as a 1 Tbit device. The QLC version is available in two capacities - 1 Tbit and 2 Tbit.
Kioxia also noted that while the number of layers (218) doesn't compare favorably with the latest layer counts from the competition, its lateral scaling / cell shrinkage has enabled it to be competitive in terms of bit density as well as operating speeds (3200 MT/s). For reference, the latest shipping NAND from Micron - the G9 - has 276 layers with a bit density in TLC mode of 21 Gbit/mm2, and operates at up to 3600 MT/s. However, its 232L NAND operates only up to 2400 MT/s and has a bit density of 14.6 Gbit/mm2.
It must be noted that the CBA hybrid bonding process has advantages over the current processes used by other vendors - including Micron's CMOS under array (CuA) and SK hynix's 4D PUC (periphery-under-chip) developed in the late 2010s. It is expected that other NAND vendors will also move eventually to some variant of the hybrid bonding scheme used by Kioxia.
Storage
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's.
CXL Gathers Momentum at FMS 2024
The CXL consortium has had a regular presence at FMS (which rechristened itself from 'Flash Memory Summit' to the 'Future of Memory and Storage' this year). Back at FMS 2022, the company had announced v3.0 of the CXL specifications. This was followed by CXL 3.1's introduction at Supercomputing 2023. Having started off as a host to device interconnect standard, it had slowly subsumed other competing standards such as OpenCAPI and Gen-Z. As a result, the specifications started to encompass a wide variety of use-cases by building a protocol on top of the the ubiquitous PCIe expansion bus. The CXL consortium comprises of heavyweights such as AMD and Intel, as well as a large number of startup companies attempting to play in different segments on the device side. At FMS 2024, CXL had a prime position in the booth demos of many vendors.
The migration of server platforms from DDR4 to DDR5, along with the rise of workloads demanding large RAM capacity (but not particularly sensitive to either memory bandwidth or latency), has opened up memory expansion modules as one of the first set of widely available CXL devices. Over the last couple of years, we have had product announcements from Samsung and Micron in this area.
SK hynix CMM-DDR5 CXL Memory Module and HMSDK
At FMS 2024, SK hynix was showing off their DDR5-based CMM-DDR5 CXL memory module with a 128 GB capacity. The company was also detailing their associated Heterogeneous Memory Software Development Kit (HMSDK) - a set of libraries and tools at both the kernel and user levels aimed at increasing the ease of use of CXL memory. This is achieved in part by considering the memory pyramid / hierarchy and relocating the data between the server's main memory (DRAM) and the CXL device based on usage frequency.
The CMM-DDR5 CXL memory module comes in the SDFF form-factor (E3.S 2T) with a PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface. The internal memory is based on 1α technology DRAM, and the device promises DDR5-class bandwidth and latency within a single NUMA hop. As these memory modules are meant to be used in datacenters and enterprises, the firmware includes features for RAS (reliability, availability, and serviceability) along with secure boot and other management features.
SK hynix was also demonstrating Niagara 2.0 - a hardware solution (currently based on FPGAs) to enable memory pooling and sharing - i.e, connecting multiple CXL memories to allow different hosts (CPUs and GPUs) to optimally share their capacity. The previous version only allowed capacity sharing, but the latest version enables sharing of data also. SK hynix had presented these solutions at the CXL DevCon 2024 earlier this year, but some progress seems to have been made in finalizing the specifications of the CMM-DDR5 at FMS 2024.
Microchip and Micron Demonstrate CZ120 CXL Memory Expansion Module
Micron had unveiled the CZ120 CXL Memory Expansion Module last year based on the Microchip SMC 2000 series CXL memory controller. At FMS 2024, Micron and Microchip had a demonstration of the module on a Granite Rapids server.
Additional insights into the SMC 2000 controller were also provided.
The CXL memory controller also incorporates DRAM die failure handling, and Microchip also provides diagnostics and debug tools to analyze failed modules. The memory controller also supports ECC, which forms part of the enterprise... Storage
Fadu's FC5161 SSD Controller Breaks Cover in Western Digital's PCIe Gen5 Enterprise Drives
When Western Digital introduced its Ultrastar DC SN861 SSDs earlier this year, the company did not disclose which controller it used for these drives, which made many observers presume that WD was using an in-house controller. But a recent teardown of the drive shows that is not the case; instead, the company is using a controller from Fadu, a South Korean company founded in 2015 that specializes on enterprise-grade turnkey SSD solutions.
The Western Digital Ultrastar DC SN861 SSD is aimed at performance-hungry hyperscale datacenters and enterprise customers which are adopting PCIe Gen5 storage devices these days. And, as uncovered in photos from a recent Storage Review article, the drive is based on Fadu's FC5161 NVMe 2.0-compliant controller. The FC5161 utilizes 16 NAND channels supporting an ONFi 5.0 2400 MT/s interface, and features a combination of enterprise-grade capabilities (OCP Cloud Spec 2.0, SR-IOV, up to 512 name spaces for ZNS support, flexible data placement, NVMe-MI 1.2, advanced security, telemetry, power loss protection) not available on other off-the-shelf controllers – or on any previous Western Digital controllers.
The Ultrastar DC SN861 SSD offers sequential read speeds up to 13.7 GB/s as well as sequential write speeds up to 7.5 GB/s. As for random performance, it boasts with an up to 3.3 million random 4K read IOPS and up to 0.8 million random 4K write IOPS. The drives are available in capacities between 1.6 TB and 7.68 TB with one or three drive writes per day (DWPD) over five years rating as well as in U.2 and E1.S form-factors.
While the two form factors of the SN861 share a similar technical design, Western Digital has tailored each version for distinct workloads: the E1.S supports FDP and performance enhancements specifically for cloud environments. By contrast, the U.2 model is geared towards high-performance enterprise tasks and emerging applications like AI.
Without any doubts, Western Digital's Ultrastar DC SN861 is a feature-rich high-performance enterprise-grade SSD. It has another distinctive feature: a 5W idle power consumption, which is rather low by the standards of enterprise-grade drives (e.g., it is 1W lower compared to the SN840). While the difference with predecessors may be just 1W, hyperscalers deploy thousands of drives and for their TCO every watt counts.
Western Digital's Ultrastar DC SN861 SSDs are now available for purchase to select customers (such as Meta) and to interested parties. Prices are unknown, but they will depend on such factors as volumes.
Sources: Fadu, Storage Review
Storage
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