PCIe Gen3 x4L BG4 SSDs sport 96-layer 3D Flash memory

Toshiba Memory America, Inc. will introduce the fourth generation of its single package ball grid array (BGA) solid state drive (SSD) product line: the BG4 series. Toshiba Memory’s new lineup of ultra-compact NVMe SSDs places both the flash and an all-new controller into one package, bringing design flexibility to ultra-thin PC notebooks, embedded systems and server boot in data centers.

Toshiba Memory Corporation has long been at the forefront of delivering SSDs that enable smaller, thinner, lighter, and more power efficient mobile designs. The company was the first to develop a single package PCIe SSD, and the introduction of the fourth generation BG series represents another pioneering achievement as the densest client SSD by volumetric measurements.

Utilizing Toshiba Memory’s innovative 96-layer BiCS FLASH 3D memory, BG4 increases the maximum capacity from 512 gigabytes to 1024GB (approximately 1TB) and provides a slim 1.3mm profile for capacities up to 512GB. Furthermore, the BG4 series doubles the PCIe Gen3 lane count from 2 to 4, delivering more performance in the same power envelope when compared to the prior generation product.

Performance improvements over the BG3 series include:

Up to 2,250 megabytes per second sequential read (50 percent improvement) and up to 1,700MB/s sequential write performance (70 percent improvement)
Up to 380,000 random read IOPS (153 percent improvement) and 190,000 random write IOPS (90 percent improvement)

BG4 SSDs feature a power-saving solution that improves power efficiency up to 20 percent in read and 7 percent in write and provides a low-power state as low as 5mW (when compared to the BG3 series). The BG4 also improves its Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology by increasing the accelerated read access range and optimizing background flash management. Additionally, BG4 includes new enhanced reliability features to protect against host DRAM failures when using the HMB feature.

Providing essential options for today’s mobile devices, Toshiba Memory’s new single package SSD is available in capacities of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1024GB (1TB), in either surface-mount BGA M.2 1620 (16 x 20mm) or removable M.2 2230 (22 x 30mm) modules. Pyrite drive (version 1.00) or self-encrypting drive (TCG Opal version 2.01) models are also available.

Toshiba Memory Corporation offers the industry’s broadest SSD portfolio, including a wide array of client SSDs. The BG4 series is currently sampling to select OEM customers, with general sample availability expected later in the second calendar quarter of 2019. Toshiba Memory America, Inc. will showcase the BG4 series in its private demo suite at the Venetian Resort from January 8 – 11.