Feed: AnandTech
Feed Link: https://www.anandtech.com
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Title: Western Digital Introduces 4 TB microSDUC, 8 TB SDUC, and 16 TB
External SSDs

Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:30:00 EDT
Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/21521/western-...

Western Digital's BiCS8 218-layer 3D NAND is being put to good use in a wide
range of client and enterprise platforms, including WD's upcoming Gen 5
client SSDs and 128 TB-class datacenter SSD. On the external storage front,
the company demonstrated four different products: for card-based media, 4 TB
microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards with UHS-I speeds, and on the portable SSD
front we had two 16 TB drives. One will be a SanDisk Desk Drive with external
power, and the other in the SanDisk Extreme Pro housing with a lanyard
opening in the case.

All of these are using BiCS8 QLC NAND, though I did hear booth talk (as I was
taking leave) that they were not supposed to divulge the use of QLC in these
products. The 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards are rated for UHS-I speeds.
They are being marketed under the SanDisk Ultra branding.

The SanDisk Desk Drive is an external SSD with a 18W power adapter, and it
has been in the market for a few months now. Initially launched in capacities
up to 8 TB, Western Digital had promised a 16 TB version before the end of
the year. It appears that the product is coming to retail quite soon. One
aspect to note is that this drive has been using TLC for the SKUs that are
currently in the market, so it appears unlikely that the 16 TB version would
be QLC. The units (at least up to the 8 TB capacity point) come with two
SN850XE drives. Given the recent introduction of the 8 TB SN850X, an 'E'
version with tweaked firmware is likely to be present in the 16 TB Desk
Drive.

The 16 TB portable SSD in the SanDisk Extreme housing was a technology
demonstration. It is definitely the highest capacity bus-powered portable SSD
demonstrated by any vendor at any trade show thus far. Given the 16 TB Desk
Drive's imminent market introduction, it is just a matter of time before the
technology demonstration of the bus-powered version becomes a retail reality.

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