Western Digital Introduces 4 TB microSDUC, 8 TB SDUC, and 16 TB External SSDs
Western Digital's BiCS8 218-layer 3D NAND is being put to good use in a wide range of client and enterprise platforms, including WD's upcoming Gen 5 client SSDs and 128 TB-class datacenter SSD. On the external storage front, the company demonstrated four different products: for card-based media, 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards with UHS-I speeds, and on the portable SSD front we had two 16 TB drives. One will be a SanDisk Desk Drive with external power, and the other in the SanDisk Extreme Pro housing with a lanyard opening in the case.
All of these are using BiCS8 QLC NAND, though I did hear booth talk (as I was taking leave) that they were not supposed to divulge the use of QLC in these products. The 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards are rated for UHS-I speeds. They are being marketed under the SanDisk Ultra branding.
The SanDisk Desk Drive is an external SSD with a 18W power adapter, and it has been in the market for a few months now. Initially launched in capacities up to 8 TB, Western Digital had promised a 16 TB version before the end of the year. It appears that the product is coming to retail quite soon. One aspect to note is that this drive has been using TLC for the SKUs that are currently in the market, so it appears unlikely that the 16 TB version would be QLC. The units (at least up to the 8 TB capacity point) come with two SN850XE drives. Given the recent introduction of the 8 TB SN850X, an 'E' version with tweaked firmware is likely to be present in the 16 TB Desk Drive.
The 16 TB portable SSD in the SanDisk Extreme housing was a technology demonstration. It is definitely the highest capacity bus-powered portable SSD demonstrated by any vendor at any trade show thus far. Given the 16 TB Desk Drive's imminent market introduction, it is just a matter of time before the technology demonstration of the bus-powered version becomes a retail reality.
Storage
Posted by The Techinical Support
Micron Ships Crucial-Branded LPCAMM2 Memory Modules: 64GB of LPDDR5X For $330 
As LPCAMM2 adoption begins, the first retail memory modules are finally starting to hit the retail market, courtesy of Micron. The memory manufacturer has begun selling their LPDDR5X-based LPCAMM2 memory modules under their in-house Crucial brand, making them available on the latter's storefront. Timed to coincide with the release of Lenovo's ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 laptop – the first retail laptop designed to use the memory modules – this marks the de facto start of the eagerly-awaited modular LPDDR5X memory era.
Micron's Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module 2 (LPCAMM2) modules are available in capacities of 32 GB and 64 GB. These are dual-channel modules that feature a 128-bit wide interface, and are based around LPDDR5X memory running at data rates up to 7500 MT/s. This gives a single LPCAMM2 a peak bandwidth of 120 GB/s. Micron is not disclosing the latencies of its LPCAMM2 memory modules, but it says that high data transfer rates of LPDDR5X compensate for the extended timings.
Micron says that LPDDR5X memory offers significantly lower power consumption, with active power per 64-bit bus being 43-58% lower than DDR5 at the same speed, and standby power up to 80% lower. Meanwhile, similar to DDR5 modules, LPCAMM2 modules include a power management IC and voltage regulating circuitry, which provides module manufacturers additional opportunities to reduce power consumption of their products.
Source: Micron LPDDR5X LPCAMM2 Technical Brief
It's worth noting, however, that at least for the first generation of LPCAMM2 modules, system vendors will need to pick between modularity and performance. While soldered-down LPDDR5X memory is available at speeds up to 8533 MT/sec – and with 9600 MT/sec on the horizon – the fastest LPCAMM2 modules planned for this year by both Micron and rival Samsung will be running at 7500 MT/sec. So vendors will have to choose between the flexibility of offering modular LPDDR5X, or the higher bandwidth (and space savings) offered by soldering down their memory.
Micron, for its part, is projecting that 9600 MT/sec LPCAMM2 modules will be available by 2026. Though it's all but certain that faster memory will also be avaialble in the same timeframe.
Micron's Crucial LPDDR5X 32 GB module costs $174.99, whereas a 64 GB module costs $329.99.
Memory
Source: Micron LPDDR5X LPCAMM2 Technical Brief
Micron Ships Crucial-Branded LPCAMM2 Memory Modules: 64GB of LPDDR5X For $330
As LPCAMM2 adoption begins, the first retail memory modules are finally starting to hit the retail market, courtesy of Micron. The memory manufacturer has begun selling their LPDDR5X-based LPCAMM2 memory modules under their in-house Crucial brand, making them available on the latter's storefront. Timed to coincide with the release of Lenovo's ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 laptop – the first retail laptop designed to use the memory modules – this marks the de facto start of the eagerly-awaited modular LPDDR5X memory era.
Micron's Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module 2 (LPCAMM2) modules are available in capacities of 32 GB and 64 GB. These are dual-channel modules that feature a 128-bit wide interface, and are based around LPDDR5X memory running at data rates up to 7500 MT/s. This gives a single LPCAMM2 a peak bandwidth of 120 GB/s. Micron is not disclosing the latencies of its LPCAMM2 memory modules, but it says that high data transfer rates of LPDDR5X compensate for the extended timings.
Micron says that LPDDR5X memory offers significantly lower power consumption, with active power per 64-bit bus being 43-58% lower than DDR5 at the same speed, and standby power up to 80% lower. Meanwhile, similar to DDR5 modules, LPCAMM2 modules include a power management IC and voltage regulating circuitry, which provides module manufacturers additional opportunities to reduce power consumption of their products.
Source: Micron LPDDR5X LPCAMM2 Technical Brief
It's worth noting, however, that at least for the first generation of LPCAMM2 modules, system vendors will need to pick between modularity and performance. While soldered-down LPDDR5X memory is available at speeds up to 8533 MT/sec – and with 9600 MT/sec on the horizon – the fastest LPCAMM2 modules planned for this year by both Micron and rival Samsung will be running at 7500 MT/sec. So vendors will have to choose between the flexibility of offering modular LPDDR5X, or the higher bandwidth (and space savings) offered by soldering down their memory.
Micron, for its part, is projecting that 9600 MT/sec LPCAMM2 modules will be available by 2026. Though it's all but certain that faster memory will also be avaialble in the same timeframe.
Micron's Crucial LPDDR5X 32 GB module costs $174.99, whereas a 64 GB module costs $329.99.
Memory
Source: Micron LPDDR5X LPCAMM2 Technical Brief
Qualcomm Intros Snapdragon X Plus, Details Complete Snapdragon X Launch Day Chip Stack As Qualcomm prepares for the mid-year launch of their forthcoming Snapdragon X SoCs for PCs, and the eagerly anticipated Oryon CPU cores within, the company is finally shoring up their official product plans, and releasing some additional technical details in the process. Thus far the company has been demonstrating their Snapdragon X Elite SoC in its highest-performing, fully-enabled configuration. But the retail Snapdragon X Elite will not be a single part; instead, Qualcomm is preparing a whole range of chip configurations for various price/performance tiers in the market. Altogether, there will be 3 Snapdragon X Elite SKUs that differ in CPU and GPU performance.
As well, the company is introducing a second Snapdragon X tier, Snapdragon X Plus, for those SKUs positioned below the Elite performance tier. As of today, this will be a single configuration. But if the Snapdragon X lineup is successful and demand warrants it, I would not be surprised to see Qualcomm expand it further – as they have certainly left themselves the room for it in their product stack. In the meantime, with Qualcomm’s expected launch competition now shipping (Intel Core Ultra Meteor Lake and AMD Ryzen Mobile 8040 Hawk Point), the company is also very confident that even these reduced performance Snapdragon X Plus chips will be able to beat Intel and AMD in multithreaded performance – never mind the top-tier Snapdragon X Elite chips.
Qualcomm will be launching this expanded four chip stack at once; so both Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus tier devices should be available at the same time. The company’s goal is still to have devices on the shelf “mid-year”, although the company isn’t providing any more precise guidance than that. With Qualcomm’s CEO, Cristiano Amon, set to deliver a Computex keynote in June, I expect we’ll get more specific details on timings then, along with the company and its partners using the event to announce and showcase some retail laptop designs. So this is very much looking like a summer launch at the moment.
In the meantime, Qualcomm is already showing off what their Snapdragon X Plus chips can do with a fresh set of live benchmarks, akin to their Snapdragon X Elite performance previews from October 2023. We’ll dive into those in a bit, but suffice it to say, Qualcomm knows the score, and they want to make sure the entire world knows when they’re winning.
CPUs
TSMC: Performance and Yields of 2nm on Track, Mass Production To Start In 2025 
In addition to revealing its roadmap and plans concerning its current leading-edge process technologies, TSMC also shared progress of its N2 node as part of its Symposiums 2024. The company's first 2nm-class fabrication node, and predominantly featuring gate-all-around transistors, according to TSMC N2 has almost achieved its target performance and yield goals, which places it on track to enter high-volume manufacturing in the second half of 2025.
TSMC states that 'N2 development is well on track and N2P is next.' In particular, gate-all-around nanosheet devices currently achieve over 90% of their expected performance, whereas yields of 256 Mb SRAM (32 MB) devices already exceeds 80%, depending on the batch. All of this for a node that is over a year away from mass production.
Meanwhile, average yield of a 256 Mb SRAM was around 70% as of March, 2024, up from around 35% in April, 2023. Device performance has also been improving with higher frequencies being achieved while keeping power consumption in check.
Chip designer interest towards TSMC's first 2nm-class gate-all-around nanosheet transistor-based technology is significant, too. The number of new tape-outs (NTOs) in the first year of N2 is over two-times higher than it was for N5. Though with that said, given TSMC's close working relationship with a handful of high-volume vendors – most notably Appe – NTOs can be a very misleading figure since the first year of a new node at TSMC is capacity constrained, and consequently the bulk of that capacity goes to TSMC's priority partners.
Meanwhile, there were considerably more N5 tapeouts in its second year (some where N5P, of course) and N2 promises to have 2.6X more NTOs in its second year. So the node indeed looks quite promising. In fact, based on TSMC's slides (which we're unfortunately not able to republish), N2 is more popular than N3 in terms of NTOs both in the first and the second years of existence.
When it comes to the second year of N2, in the second half of 2026 TSMC plans to roll out its N2P technology, which promises additional performance and power benefits. N2P is expected to improve frequency by 15% - 20%, reduce power consumption by 30% - 40%, and increase chip density by over 1.15 times compared to N3E, significant benefits to move to all-new GAA nanosheet transistors.
Finally, for those companies that need the best in performance, power, and density, TSMC is poised to offer their A16 process in 2026. That node will also bring in backside power delivery, which will add costs, but is expected to greatly improve performance efficiency and scaling.
Semiconductors
Report: SK Hynix Mulls Building $4 Billion Advanced Packaging Facility in Indiana 
SK hynix is considering whether to build an advanced packaging facility in Indiana, reports the Wall Street Journal. If the company proceeds with the plan, it intends to invest $4 billion in it and construct one of the world's largest advanced packaging facilities. But to accomplish the project, SK hynix expects it will need help from the U.S. government.
Acknowledging the report but stopping short of confirming the company's plans, a company spokeswoman told the WSJ that SK hynix "is reviewing its advanced chip packaging investment in the U.S., but hasn’t made a final decision yet."
Companies like TSMC and Intel spend billions on advanced packaging facilities, but so far, no company has announced a chip packaging plant worth quite as much as SH hynix's $4 billion. The field of advanced packaging – CoWoS, passive silicon interposers, redistribution layers, die-to-die bonding, and other cutting edge technologies – has seen an explosion in demand in the last half-decade. As bandwidth advances with traditional organic packaging are largely played out, chip designers have needed to turn to more complex (and difficult to assemble) technologies in order to wire up an ever larger number of signals at ever-higher transfer rates. Which has turned advanced packaging into a bottleneck for high-end chip and accelerator production, driving a need for additional packaging facilities.
If SK hynix approves the project, the advanced packaging facility is expected to begin operations in 2028 and could create as many as 1,000 jobs. With an estimated cost of $4 billion, the plant is poised to become one of the largest advanced packaging facilities in the world.
Meanwhile, government backing is thought to be essential for investments of this scale, with potential state and federal tax incentives, according to the report. These incentives form part of a broader initiative to bolster the U.S. semiconductor industry and decrease dependence on memory produced in South Korea.
SK hynix is the world's leading producer of HBM memory, and is one of the key HBM suppliers to NVIDIA. Next generations of HBM memory (including HBM4 and HBM4E) will require even closer collaboration between chip designers, chipmakers, and memory makers. Therefore, packaging HBM in America could be a significant benefit for NVIDIA, AMD, and other U.S. chipmakers.
Investing in the Indiana facility will be a strategic move by SK hynix to enhance its advanced chip packaging capabilities in general and demonstrating dedication to the U.S. semiconductor industry.
Memory
![](https://twitter.com/share?url=https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/10/western-digital-introduces-4-tb_76.html&text=Western Digital Introduces 4 TB microSDUC, 8 TB SDUC, and 16 TB External SSDs <p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/wd-4-8-16-carousel_575px.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p><p>Western Digital's BiCS8 218-layer 3D NAND is being put to good use in a wide range of client and enterprise platforms, including WD's upcoming <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21508">Gen 5 client SSDs</a> and <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21505">128 TB-class datacenter SSD</a>. On the external storage front, the company demonstrated four different products: for card-based media, 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards with UHS-I speeds, and on the portable SSD front we had two 16 TB drives. One will be a SanDisk Desk Drive with external power, and the other in the SanDisk Extreme Pro housing with a lanyard opening in the case.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/4tb-uduc_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>All of these are using BiCS8 QLC NAND, though I did hear booth talk (as I was taking leave) that they were not supposed to divulge the use of QLC in these products. The 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards are rated for UHS-I speeds. They are being marketed under the SanDisk Ultra branding.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/8tb-sduc_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>The SanDisk Desk Drive is an external SSD with a 18W power adapter, and it has been in the market for a few months now. Initially launched in capacities up to 8 TB, Western Digital had promised a 16 TB version before the end of the year. It appears that the product is coming to retail quite soon. One aspect to note is that this drive has been using TLC for the SKUs that are currently in the market, so it appears unlikely that the 16 TB version would be QLC. The units (at least up to the 8 TB capacity point) come with two SN850XE drives. Given the recent <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21472/">introduction of the 8 TB SN850X</a>, an 'E' version with tweaked firmware is likely to be present in the 16 TB Desk Drive.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/16t-externals_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>The 16 TB portable SSD in the SanDisk Extreme housing was a technology demonstration. It is definitely the highest capacity bus-powered portable SSD demonstrated by any vendor at any trade show thus far. Given the 16 TB Desk Drive's imminent market introduction, it is just a matter of time before the technology demonstration of the bus-powered version becomes a retail reality.</p>
</p> Storage){kind=link}
![](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/10/western-digital-introduces-4-tb_76.html&media=https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vF_HehXNx9LN7JlqZ_4V9jzJQDB_TgVuVLRBaIUWUtu0uRZp9L1-JafbVbo4e4a2zQgrzGQwZYgZRjamvwIu4rXvDgIzpm-8rjiG-xUato2wiQWJymQyZI4oBr8TaTocmHZfghZZY&description=Western Digital Introduces 4 TB microSDUC, 8 TB SDUC, and 16 TB External SSDs <p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/wd-4-8-16-carousel_575px.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p><p>Western Digital's BiCS8 218-layer 3D NAND is being put to good use in a wide range of client and enterprise platforms, including WD's upcoming <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21508">Gen 5 client SSDs</a> and <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21505">128 TB-class datacenter SSD</a>. On the external storage front, the company demonstrated four different products: for card-based media, 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards with UHS-I speeds, and on the portable SSD front we had two 16 TB drives. One will be a SanDisk Desk Drive with external power, and the other in the SanDisk Extreme Pro housing with a lanyard opening in the case.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/4tb-uduc_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>All of these are using BiCS8 QLC NAND, though I did hear booth talk (as I was taking leave) that they were not supposed to divulge the use of QLC in these products. The 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards are rated for UHS-I speeds. They are being marketed under the SanDisk Ultra branding.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/8tb-sduc_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>The SanDisk Desk Drive is an external SSD with a 18W power adapter, and it has been in the market for a few months now. Initially launched in capacities up to 8 TB, Western Digital had promised a 16 TB version before the end of the year. It appears that the product is coming to retail quite soon. One aspect to note is that this drive has been using TLC for the SKUs that are currently in the market, so it appears unlikely that the 16 TB version would be QLC. The units (at least up to the 8 TB capacity point) come with two SN850XE drives. Given the recent <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21472/">introduction of the 8 TB SN850X</a>, an 'E' version with tweaked firmware is likely to be present in the 16 TB Desk Drive.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/16t-externals_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>The 16 TB portable SSD in the SanDisk Extreme housing was a technology demonstration. It is definitely the highest capacity bus-powered portable SSD demonstrated by any vendor at any trade show thus far. Given the 16 TB Desk Drive's imminent market introduction, it is just a matter of time before the technology demonstration of the bus-powered version becomes a retail reality.</p>
</p> Storage){kind=link}
![](https://web.whatsapp.com/send?text=Western Digital Introduces 4 TB microSDUC, 8 TB SDUC, and 16 TB External SSDs <p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/wd-4-8-16-carousel_575px.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p><p>Western Digital's BiCS8 218-layer 3D NAND is being put to good use in a wide range of client and enterprise platforms, including WD's upcoming <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21508">Gen 5 client SSDs</a> and <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21505">128 TB-class datacenter SSD</a>. On the external storage front, the company demonstrated four different products: for card-based media, 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards with UHS-I speeds, and on the portable SSD front we had two 16 TB drives. One will be a SanDisk Desk Drive with external power, and the other in the SanDisk Extreme Pro housing with a lanyard opening in the case.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/4tb-uduc_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>All of these are using BiCS8 QLC NAND, though I did hear booth talk (as I was taking leave) that they were not supposed to divulge the use of QLC in these products. The 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards are rated for UHS-I speeds. They are being marketed under the SanDisk Ultra branding.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/8tb-sduc_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>The SanDisk Desk Drive is an external SSD with a 18W power adapter, and it has been in the market for a few months now. Initially launched in capacities up to 8 TB, Western Digital had promised a 16 TB version before the end of the year. It appears that the product is coming to retail quite soon. One aspect to note is that this drive has been using TLC for the SKUs that are currently in the market, so it appears unlikely that the 16 TB version would be QLC. The units (at least up to the 8 TB capacity point) come with two SN850XE drives. Given the recent <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21472/">introduction of the 8 TB SN850X</a>, an 'E' version with tweaked firmware is likely to be present in the 16 TB Desk Drive.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/16t-externals_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>The 16 TB portable SSD in the SanDisk Extreme housing was a technology demonstration. It is definitely the highest capacity bus-powered portable SSD demonstrated by any vendor at any trade show thus far. Given the 16 TB Desk Drive's imminent market introduction, it is just a matter of time before the technology demonstration of the bus-powered version becomes a retail reality.</p>
</p> Storage | https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/10/western-digital-introduces-4-tb_76.html){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Western Digital Introduces 4 TB microSDUC, 8 TB SDUC, and 16 TB External SSDs <p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/wd-4-8-16-carousel_575px.jpg" alt="" /></a></p><p><p>Western Digital's BiCS8 218-layer 3D NAND is being put to good use in a wide range of client and enterprise platforms, including WD's upcoming <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21508">Gen 5 client SSDs</a> and <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21505">128 TB-class datacenter SSD</a>. On the external storage front, the company demonstrated four different products: for card-based media, 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards with UHS-I speeds, and on the portable SSD front we had two 16 TB drives. One will be a SanDisk Desk Drive with external power, and the other in the SanDisk Extreme Pro housing with a lanyard opening in the case.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/4tb-uduc_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>All of these are using BiCS8 QLC NAND, though I did hear booth talk (as I was taking leave) that they were not supposed to divulge the use of QLC in these products. The 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards are rated for UHS-I speeds. They are being marketed under the SanDisk Ultra branding.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/8tb-sduc_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>The SanDisk Desk Drive is an external SSD with a 18W power adapter, and it has been in the market for a few months now. Initially launched in capacities up to 8 TB, Western Digital had promised a 16 TB version before the end of the year. It appears that the product is coming to retail quite soon. One aspect to note is that this drive has been using TLC for the SKUs that are currently in the market, so it appears unlikely that the 16 TB version would be QLC. The units (at least up to the 8 TB capacity point) come with two SN850XE drives. Given the recent <a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21472/">introduction of the 8 TB SN850X</a>, an 'E' version with tweaked firmware is likely to be present in the 16 TB Desk Drive.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds"><img alt="" src="https://images.anandtech.com/doci/21521/16t-externals_575px.jpg" /></a></p>
<p>The 16 TB portable SSD in the SanDisk Extreme housing was a technology demonstration. It is definitely the highest capacity bus-powered portable SSD demonstrated by any vendor at any trade show thus far. Given the 16 TB Desk Drive's imminent market introduction, it is just a matter of time before the technology demonstration of the bus-powered version becomes a retail reality.</p>
</p> Storage&body=https://compbuddey.blogspot.com/2024/10/western-digital-introduces-4-tb_76.html){kind=link}
Ultra Ethernet Consortium Grows to 55 Members, Reveals Some Details on Upcoming HPC Backbone Tech 
The Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) has announced this week that the next-generation interconnection consortium has grown to 55 members. And as the group works towards developing the initial version of their ultra-fast Ethernet standard, they have released some of the first technical details on the upcoming standard.
Formed in the summer of 2023, the UEC aims to develop a new standard for interconnection for AI and HPC datacenter needs, serving as a de-facto (if not de-jure) alternative to InfiniBand, which is largely under the control of NVIDIA these days. The UEC began to accept new members back in November, and just in five months' time it gained 45 new members, which highlights massive interest for the new technology. The consortium now boasts 55 members and 715 industry experts, who are working across eight technical groups.
There is a lot of work at hand for the UEC, as the group has laid out in their latest development blog post, as the consortium works to to build a unified Ethernet-based communication stack for high-performance networking supporting artificial intelligence and high-performance computing clusters. The consortium's technical objectives include developing specifications, APIs, and source code for Ultra Ethernet communications, updating existing protocols, and introducing new mechanisms for telemetry, signaling, security, and congestion management. In particular, Ultra Ethernet introduces the UEC Transport (UET) for higher network utilization and lower tail latency to speed up RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) operation over Ethernet. Key features include multi-path packet spraying, flexible ordering, and advanced congestion control, ensuring efficient and reliable data transfer.
These enhancements are designed to address the needs of large AI and HPC clusters — with separate profiles for each type of deployment — though everything is done in a surgical manner to enhance the technology, but reuse as much of the existing Ethernet as possible to maintain cost efficiency and interoperability.
The consortium's founding members include AMD, Arista, Broadcom, Cisco, Eviden (an Atos Business), HPE, Intel, Meta, and Microsoft. After the Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) began to accept new members in October, 2023, numerous industry heavyweights have joined the group, including Baidu, Dell, Huawei, IBM, Nokia, Lenovo, Supermicro, and Tencent.
The consortium currently plans to release the initial 1.0 version of the UEC specification publicly sometime in the third quarter of 2024.
"There was always a recognition that UEC was meeting a need in the industry," said J Metz, Chair of the UEC Steering Committee. "There is a strong desire to have an open, accessible, Ethernet-based network specifically designed to accommodate AI and HPC workload requirements. This level of involvement is encouraging; it helps us achieve the goal of broad interoperability and stability."
While it is evident that then Ultra Ethernet Consortium is gaining support across the industry, it is still unclear where other industry behemoths like AWS and Google stand. While the hardware companies involved can design Ultra Ethernet support into their hardware and systems, the technology ultimately exists to serve large datacenter and HPC system operators. So it will be interesting to see what interest they take in (and how quickly they adopt) the nascent Ethernet backbone technology once hardware incorporating it is ready.
Networking
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
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Micron Ships Crucial-Branded LPCAMM2 Memory Modules: 64GB of LPDDR5X For $330
As LPCAMM2 adoption begins, the first retail memory modules are finally starting to hit the retail market, courtesy of Micron. The memory manufacturer has begun selling their LPDDR5X-based LPCAMM2 memory modules under their in-house Crucial brand, making them available on the latter's storefront. Timed to coincide with the release of Lenovo's ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 laptop – the first retail laptop designed to use the memory modules – this marks the de facto start of the eagerly-awaited modular LPDDR5X memory era.
Micron's Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module 2 (LPCAMM2) modules are available in capacities of 32 GB and 64 GB. These are dual-channel modules that feature a 128-bit wide interface, and are based around LPDDR5X memory running at data rates up to 7500 MT/s. This gives a single LPCAMM2 a peak bandwidth of 120 GB/s. Micron is not disclosing the latencies of its LPCAMM2 memory modules, but it says that high data transfer rates of LPDDR5X compensate for the extended timings.
Micron says that LPDDR5X memory offers significantly lower power consumption, with active power per 64-bit bus being 43-58% lower than DDR5 at the same speed, and standby power up to 80% lower. Meanwhile, similar to DDR5 modules, LPCAMM2 modules include a power management IC and voltage regulating circuitry, which provides module manufacturers additional opportunities to reduce power consumption of their products.
Source: Micron LPDDR5X LPCAMM2 Technical Brief
It's worth noting, however, that at least for the first generation of LPCAMM2 modules, system vendors will need to pick between modularity and performance. While soldered-down LPDDR5X memory is available at speeds up to 8533 MT/sec – and with 9600 MT/sec on the horizon – the fastest LPCAMM2 modules planned for this year by both Micron and rival Samsung will be running at 7500 MT/sec. So vendors will have to choose between the flexibility of offering modular LPDDR5X, or the higher bandwidth (and space savings) offered by soldering down their memory.
Micron, for its part, is projecting that 9600 MT/sec LPCAMM2 modules will be available by 2026. Though it's all but certain that faster memory will also be avaialble in the same timeframe.
Micron's Crucial LPDDR5X 32 GB module costs $174.99, whereas a 64 GB module costs $329.99.
Memory
Source: Micron LPDDR5X LPCAMM2 Technical Brief
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