ADATA Technology, a manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, mobile accessories, gaming products, electric power trains, and industrial solutions, plans to release next-generation SD Express cards by Q2 of 2021.
With the rise of social media influencers, user-generated content, and the deployment of 5G networks worldwide, content creators and others seek high-capacity, high-performance, and portable memory products to meet their needs. To this end, the SD Association (SDA) released SD7.0, which introduced two major new functions, which include the incorporation of the PCIe and NVMe interfaces into SD memory cards for a significant upgrade in read/write speeds. These new SD cards will be known as SD Express cards. ADATA will be launching a new SD Express memory card by Q2 of 2021.
PCIe and NVMe Bring 300% Increase in Speed
Incorporating the PCIe and NVMe interfaces into SD memory cards is a logical next step to meet users’ demands. Firstly, both interfaces are already standard in solid state drives (SSD), which allows them to operate at high speeds of up to 1000 MB/s. Meanwhile, SD cards are already used widely in cameras and other devices. However, in the past, SD card performance was capped at the UHS-II interface with a maximum bus speed of 312 MB/s, lagging far behind solid state drives and limiting their applicability for certain tasks. To realize the full potential of SD cards, the SDA released the SD7.0 specification, which included the use of additional pins, among other enhancements, to support the PCIe and NVMe interfaces. This will allow the development of next-generation SD Express cards that offer all the form factor advantages of an SD card, but with a three-hundred percent improvement in speed that is up to par with external solid state drives.
ADATA to Release New SD Express Cards by Q2 2021
As SD cards are already widely used by content creators, the adoption of SD Express cards will be a seamless experience for most. Not only do SD Express cards share the same form factor as legacy SD cards, but they are also backward compatible with UHS-I for continued use in cameras and other devices. But with the addition of SD7.0, users will now be able to transfer their high-definition content onto PCs at much higher speeds, making them a viable alternative to bulkier external SSDs.
ADATA is planning to launch a new SD Express card by Q2 of 2021. Leveraging PCIe Gen 3 x1, the cards will offer read/write speeds of up to 825/410 MB/s to meet users’ needs, especially those that use an international brand-name creator series laptops with a SD7.0 card reader slot.
