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With the price of memory these days, it can only be expected that we will see more value-driven options in both client and consumer SSD solutions, such as pre-configured PCs and laptops. Right in line with this, KIOXIA has introduced its first Gen4 QLC NAND equipped SSD known as the EG7.
The KIOXIA EG7 Series is a PCIe 4.0 (Gen4) x4 (4-lane) NVMe 2.0 SSD family aimed at oem PC configurations. It is available in 2230 (22mm wide x 30mm long), 2242 and 2280 form factors, contains KIOXIA BiCS 8 QLC NAND flash memory and will have the TCG Opal 2.01 SED option. It will be available in 512, 1 and 2TB capacities with performance as shown:
QLC NAND flash has become mainstream as of late and features a 4-bit per cell anatomy which we term quadruple-level cell (QLC) technology. Something rather impressive is that KIOXIA’s BiCS8 NAND with CBA (CMOS Directly Bonded to Array) is able to provide the same performance as the more expensive TLC-based solution, even though this is a DRAMless SSD that utilizes the Host Memory Buffer (HMB).
KIOXIA’s key cusomer will be PC OEMs with the EG7 aimed at commercial and consumer notebooks and laptops. The EG7 will be ideal for value-oriented slim laptops and ultrabooks.