Micron, one of the industry leaders in producing memory, announced its first PCIe Gen 6-based solid-state drives with significant leaps in performance compared to the current Gen 5-based SSDs.
According to the press release, Micron"s first Gen 6 drives can reach sequential read speeds of over 26GB/s, which is almost double what we currently have on the market. For reference, the fastest PCIe Gen 5 solid-state drives peak at roughly 14GB/s. Micron"s brand Crucial currently offers the T705, which can deliver 14,500MB/s of sequential read.
Sadly, you will have to wait a bit longer to get your hands on the first consumer-based PCIe Gen 6 solid-state drives. For starters, no consumer platform currently supports PCIe Gen 6—Intel"s and AMD"s latest motherboards can only work with PCIe Gen 5 solid-state drives.
Also, the promised drive is primarily aimed at data centers and edge devices to advance AI system architecture, deliver faster storage, and increase power efficiency. Micron plans to demonstrate that "it is the first to develop a PCIe Gen 6 SSD" at Flash Memory Summit 2024:
At FMS, Micron will demonstrate that it is the first to develop a PCIe Gen6 SSD for ecosystem enablement, once again showcasing its storage technology leadership. By making this technology — which delivers sequential read bandwidths of over 26GB/s — available to partners, Micron is kickstarting the PCIe Gen6 ecosystem.
Similar to the T705 for general consumers, Micron recently announced the 9550, which is claimed to be "the world"s fastest data center SSD," with capacities reaching a whopping 30.72TB. The manufacturer says its 26GB/s-capable Gen 6 solid-state drive builds on top of that announcement.
Flash Memory Summit is happening from August 6 to August 8 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Visitors can check out Micron"s latest developments, demos, and interactive kiosks at booth 107.