Silicon Motion 6Gb SATA SSD Controller Supporting 3D MLC NAND

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation announced the first turnkey merchant SATA SSD controller solution supporting 3D NAND from multiple vendors.

The enhanced controller solution will accelerate the adoption of the most competitive high-performance SSDs in the market. The company demonstrated 3D NAND-based SSDs using its updated SM2246EN controller solution during the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The market for client SSDs is increasingly more competitive and the use of 3D NAND with turnkey controller solutions will quickly enable SSD OEMs to bring to market high-performance SSDs using the industry’s most cost-effective 3D NAND. The company is extending the capabilities of its SM2246EN turnkey controller solution to now support 3D MLC NAND from multiple vendors. The SM2246EN includes the addition of advanced 3D Power Loss Protection firmware technology – specifically designed to protect against sudden data loss in 3D NAND architectures – as well as the support of up to 2 terabytes capacity. The SM2246EN with 3D NAND support is available to customers, and the company will introduce additional SSD controller solutions supporting 3D MLC and TLC NAND flash for SATA3 and PCIe SSDs in 2016, further improving performance and affordability for broader SSD adoption.

“SM2246EN is the world’s leading merchant SATA 6Gb/s controller for client SSDs today,” said Nelson Duann, SVP, product marketing, Silicon Motion. “The added support for 3D MLC NAND will usher in a new era of SSDs with uncompromising performance and affordability.“

Shalley Chen, president, ADATA Technology Co., Ltd, shared a similar opinion. “Reliable turnkey solutions are the cornerstone for ADATA to efficiently and successfully utilize 3D NAND across all our key product platforms, including SSDs. These solutions offered by Silicon Motion are critical to our long-term success.“

“3D NAND will drive faster adoption of client SSDs by consumers and corporate clients,” said Nick Villalobos, Director, global marketing, Mushkin, Inc., “We are excited to partner with Silicon Motion in deploying SM2246EN with 3D MLC NAND in our new SSD products.“

Key features for SM2246EN with IMFT 3D MLC NAND solution include:

• High sequential read of up to 540MB/s and sequential write of up to 410MB/s

• Delivers up to 80,000 random read IO/s and up to 75,000 random write IO/s

• Supports SSD densities up to two terabytes

• Supports ONFI 3.x, Toggle 2.0 and asynchronous NAND

• Proprietary, configurable ECC engine allows for consistent data throughput and performance throughout the entire SSD lifecycle

• Ideally suited for client SSDs targeting ultrabooks, laptops, tablets and HDD replacement

• Incorporates the latest security protocols and is AES 256, Trusted Computing Group (TCG) and Opal full-drive encryption compliant

• Supports both commercial (0°C to 70°C) and industrial grade (-40°C to 85°C) requirements.