SSD manufacturers are betting on QLC in the hope that such drives will be in demand
Sources from Digitimes report that flash memory manufacturers have been ramping up their release of 4-bit-per-cell 3D NAND (Quad-Level Cell, QLC) chips. This is due to the introduction of the first solid-state drives with this memory, which, although they have a lower resource, offer a lower price. Shortly, QLC-based SSDs are expected to penetrate rapidly in both the consumer and enterprise sectors.
The use of QLC NAND-based SSDs for data centers and enterprise-class storage is on the rise since 2020, according to sources, where intensive data rewriting is not required, and speed and volume are essential. QLC SSDs are more in demand, particularly for high-performance and low-cost SATA storage devices.
Phison Electronics recently released an S12DC controller for enterprise-class SATA SSDs based on QLC up to 15.36TB, with samples already in progress. Analysts at TrendFocus indicate that the enterprise solid-state drive market will consume more than 10 million SSD units per year over the next few years.
QLC technology helps you achieve a more affordable price point by narrowing the unit cost gap between hard drives and solid-state drives. Micron was the first to make QLC technology available in enterprise-class SSDs. Meanwhile, according to sources, QLC SSDs are gradually entering the consumer-oriented storage market.
Several memory module manufacturers have introduced their QLC SSD series for general users. For example, Team Group recently launched a consumer-grade 2.5-inch SATA SSD with a 15.36TB capacity and a $ 4,000 value. This SSD uses QLC NAND flash technology and has a reliability rating of 2560 TBW (total guaranteed write capacity in terabytes).
