Intel’s 3D XPoint non-volatile memory technology is one of the most anticipated advances in solid state drives (SSDs), and a new report claims that the company is set to make a big push within the SSD market next year after suffering recent losses. According to DigiTimes, upstream supply chain sources says that Intel is set to make a big push for 3D NAND SSDs in 2017, especially with its Optane platform, which utilises 3D XPoint. The report gives us a pretty clear roadmap for Intel’s SSD plans for next year.
During the first quarter of 2017, Monica Chen, Taipei and Joseph Tsai of the DigiTimes say, Intel will put its DC P4500/P4600/P4600 LP/P4500 LP into mass production, with its end-of-life-cycle marked for the first quarter of 2019.
“Although Intel’s SSD business is currently still seeing losses, the company’s operations are expected to turn profitable in 2017 with 3D XPoint memory joining its product line in the first half of 2017,” DigiTimes reports. “Intel will add DC S4600/S4500-series and the entry-level DC S3110-series to its SATA-based SSD product line in the second quarter.”
“For the embedded market, Intel has prepared the 5430S-series for April 2017 and an M.2 form factor-based version of the 5430S for July 2017,” the report adds. “In the third quarter, Intel will release the 20nm MLC-based E 6500p, and existing E 5400s/5410-series will both enter EOL in the first quarter of 2018, while the E 6000p will stop supply in the third quarter of 2018.”
“For its PCI Express-based solid state drive (SSD) product line, following the releases of its DC D3700 and D3600-series NVMe SSDs in 2016, Intel will add a top-end series with a lot more storage space in the third quarter of 2017, featuring a 2.5-inch size, U.2 interface and storage options of 2TB, 4TB and 8TB.”
