Western Digital Unveils New Storage Solutions Featuring BiCS8 3D NAND Technology

Western Digital’s BiCS8 218-layer 3D NAND technology is being utilized across a variety of client and enterprise platforms, including the company’s upcoming products, as highlighted in recent demonstrations. Among these innovations are the Gen 5 client SSDs and 128 TB-class datacenter SSD.

External Storage Innovations

In the realm of external storage, Western Digital showcased four distinct products. These include:

• 4 TB microSDUC cards
• 8 TB SDUC cards with UHS-I speeds
• Two 16 TB portable SSDs

The microSDUC and SDUC cards are marketed under the SanDisk Ultra branding and are designed to meet UHS-I speed specifications.

Details on the SanDisk Desk Drive

The SanDisk Desk Drive is an external SSD that operates with an 18W power adapter. This product has been available in the market for several months, initially launched with capacities up to 8 TB. Western Digital has indicated that a 16 TB version is expected to be released before the end of the year, with retail availability anticipated soon.

It is important to note that the current market versions of the Desk Drive utilize TLC NAND technology. Therefore, it is unlikely that the upcoming 16 TB version will feature QLC NAND. The existing units, at least up to the 8 TB capacity, incorporate two SN850XE drives. Following recent developments, it is expected that an ‘E’ version with modified firmware will be included in the 16 TB Desk Drive.

Portable SSD Technology Demonstration

The 16 TB portable SSD showcased in the SanDisk Extreme housing was presented as a technology demonstration. This product represents the highest capacity bus-powered portable SSD demonstrated by any vendor at a trade show to date. With the imminent market introduction of the 16 TB Desk Drive, it is anticipated that the technology demonstration of the bus-powered version will soon transition into a retail offering.

For more information, visit https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds.

Stay updated on the latest developments in storage technology by checking out https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds, https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds, and introduction of the 8 TB SN850X.

To learn more about Western Digital’s innovations, please refer to https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-digital-introduces-4-tb-microsduc-8-tb-sduc-and-16-tb-external-ssds.