Micron Elevates PC Performance, Unveils Adaptive Write Technology and G9 QLC NAND

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SSDs are vital to enhancing user experience and system performance for PCs and client devices. Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU) announced the Micron 2600 NVMe™ SSD, a value client storage solution designed for OEMs. Built with the industry’s first 9th-generation QLC NAND in an SSD, the 2600 SSD features Micron’s innovative Adaptive Write Technology™ (AWT) to deliver exceptional PCIe Gen4 performance with QLC economics.1 The Micron 2600 SSD achieves up to 63% faster sequential write and 49% faster random write speeds than competing value QLC and TLC SSDs,2 offering a best-in-class user experience for demanding client users.

“The Micron 2600 QLC SSD achieves superior performance compared to competitive value TLC drives,” said Mark Montierth, corporate vice president and general manager of the Mobile and Client Business Unit at Micron Technology. “Micron’s unparalleled combination of high-performance G9 NAND and innovative Adaptive Write Technology unlocks the performance previously only considered possible with TLC drives and is in qualification with Micron’s OEM customers. This Micron innovation milestone allows for broader commercial adoption of QLC NAND.”

Optimized QLC NAND performance

Micron AWT improves the write performance of QLC NAND by delivering an industry-first multi-tiered SLC, TLC and QLC dynamic caching architecture to improve sequential write speeds. Improved write performance provides up to four times faster sequential write speeds while continuously writing up to 800GB of data to a 2TB SSD.3

The cutting-edge six-plane NAND architecture of Micron’s 2Tb G9 QLC NAND allows for higher degrees of parallelism and increases read and write commands issued to the NAND simultaneously to improve performance. With speeds up to 3.6 GB/s, the 2600 SSD offers the fastest NAND I/O rate now shipping in a client SSD.4

Storage matters

Powerful PC storage solutions enable improved application productivity and optimized user experience. The Micron 2600 SSD transforms everyday computing experiences, significantly boosting productivity for commonly used applications.

Enhanced performance: The 2600 SSD accelerates data access, along with read and write speeds, leading to quicker boot times, faster application launch time and enhanced system responsiveness. Reduced OS image installation time ensures more efficient manufacturing process and fast commercial PC drive imaging for IT departments.

AI PC applications: Storage performance is a key contributor to advancements in AI-driven applications. The 2600 SSD’s fast read access allows AI models to be loaded quickly, enabling seamless transitions between tasks.

User experience: AWT helps ensure active data is optimally stored in the SSD, resulting in smoother performance for content creation, casual gaming and everyday computing. In PCMark® 10 testing, the 2600 SSD achieved up to 44% better scoring and 43% better bandwidth versus competitive value TLC SSDs, helping demonstrate the excellent user experience provided by the 2600 SSD.5

The Micron 2600 NVMe SSD is now shipping to OEMs globally in 22x30mm, 22x42mm, and 22x80mm form factors, with capacities ranging from 512GB to 2TB. The variation of smaller form factors, capacity options and a single-sided design is perfect for handhelds, ultra-thin laptops and workstations. For example, the compact 2TB, 22x30mm form factor is ultra-small and high-capacity for use in limited-space designs such as handheld gaming devices.

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