Gigabyte follows on the "overwhelmingly positive" reception to its first SATA SSDs with the announcement of a selection of NVMe PCIe M.2 SSDs, available in 128, 256 and 512GB capacities.

The SSDs adopt mainstream 2280 specifications, and operate via the PCIe Gen3 x2 M.2 interface to remove the need for power and transmission cables used by traditional SATA SSDs. Installation of the M.2 devices is more straightforward, while the lack of cables makes way for improved airflow and heat dissipation in the case.

Seagate is all about 14TB HDDs, as it launches a range of drives covering both consumer and enterprise applications-- the the IronWolf and IronWolf Pro NAS drives, BarraCuda Pro desktop drive, the surveillance-optimised SkyHawk and Exos X14 datacentre model.

The Iron Wolf/Iron Wolf Pro drives are built for multi-user environments, and promise best-in-class performance for always-on environments. They claim a workload rating of 300TB/year, and are optimised with AgileArray firmware for NAS servers to offer benefits such as RAID performance, dual-plane balance, rotational vibration (RV) sensors, advanced power management and error recovery control.

Meanwhile the BarraCuda Pro 14TB 3.5-inch HDD is ideal for demanding customers as well as creative professionals and small businesses handling large amounts of data. It offers 7200 RPM spin speed, 250mb/s data transfer rates and up to 256MB cache powered via Multi-Tier Caching Technology (MTC). As such, Seagate says it can handle 8K video editing or the large file transfers to an attached backup.

Samsung launches the Portable SSD X5-- the first NVMe-based portable SSD from the company, featuring "cutting-edge" Thunderbolt 3 technology to bring customers speedy data transfers within a durable form factor.

“As a leader in high-performance and reliable storage solutions, we are thrilled to continue to advance the external SSD market with the introduction of our first Thunderbolt 3 portable SSD,” the company says. “The X5 is yet another testament to Samsung’s commitment to providing innovative portable storage solutions that enable faster transfer of large data files, saving users’ valuable time.”

Intel launches what it claims is "the first QLC-based client PCIe SSD in the industry"-- the 660p series, drives built on the M.2-2280 form factor complete with speedy NVMe connectivity.

The 660p features 64-layer 3D QLC flash supplied by Intel-Micron subsidiary IMFlash Technology. According to Intel, "QLC and SLC 'spans' on the drive adjust bi-directionally based on used capacity for the life of the product. Increases in capacity usage trigger the SLC span to decrease, and decreases in capacity usage trigger the SLC span to increase." As mentioned earlier connectivity comes through NVMe, as well as PCIe 3.0x4.

Toshiba Memory announces the XG6-- a first SSD lineup based on 96-layer BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory allowing for read speeds reaching up to 3180MB/s and write speeds of 3000MB/s, as well as 365000 random write IOPS.

The drives will find a variety of uses across the client PC, high-performance mobile, embedded and gaming segments, as well as datacentre environments for boot drives in servers, caching and logging, and commodity storage. They are available in an M.2 2280 single-sided form factor, with support for PCIe Generation 3x4 lane and NVMe revision 1.3a.

Further features include support for user-selectable over provisioning through NVMe command, an improved SLC buffer and optional security with Pyrite or self-encrypting models supporting TCG Opal 2.01, as well as block SID and digital signature.

Intel and Micron present an update on the 3D XPoint memory partnership-- the two companies plan to work together on the 2nd generation of the technology, before bringing the collaboration to an end.

The 2nd generation of 3D XPoint technology should be complete sometime on H1 2019, although the companies do not specify whether this involves the sending out of engineering samples, the start of mass productions or the release of commercial products. Either way, once done Intel and Micron will pursue the development of the technology independently, even if both will continue manufacturing products at the Intel-Micron Flash Technologies (IMFT) facility in Lehi, Utah.

Samsung starts mass production of 5th generation V-NAND memory chips claiming the first use of the "Toggle DDR 4.0" interface, allowing data transmission speeds between storage and memory of 1.4Gbps, a 40% increase over previous versions.

The 256GGb V-NAND offers energy efficiency comparable to the 64-layer predecessor, since operating voltage is down from 1.8V to 1.2V. Meanwhile data write speed reaches 500 microseconds, a 30% improvement over the previous generation, and response time to read-signals is reduced to 50 microseconds. Inside the chip are 90 layers of "3D charge trap flash" (CTF) cells, stacked in a pyramid structure with microscopic channel holes vertically drilled throughout.

Gigabyte announces a pair of PCIe add-in cards allowing customers to add multiple M.2 storage devices to PCs and servers-- the CMT 4032 and 4034, with support for 2 or 4 PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 SSDs respectively.

The CMT 4032 and 4034 have different minimum PCIe slot requirements, depending on the number of drives supported. The CMT 4032 requires a PCIe x8 (Gen3 x8 bus) connector slot, while the CMT 4034 needs a PCI x16 (Gen3 x16) slot. Both cards have the same low profile form factor, measuring 150 x 68.9mm, and are compatible with M.2 type 2280x22110 cards measuring 22 x 80mm or 22 x 110m.