Samsung begins mass production of industry-leading SSD for AI computers

Samsung Electronics said on Friday that it has begun mass production of its latest industry-leading solid-state drive (SSD) product, optimal for usage in powerful artificial intelligence personal computers. Samsung said the PM9E1 SSD, which boasts the industry's highest performance and largest capacity, is built on its in-house 5-nanometer-based controller and eighth-generation V-NAND technology.

According to the company, the PM9E1 will provide powerful performance and enhanced power efficiency, making it an optimal solution for on-device AI PCs. Key attributes have all been improved compared with its predecessor, reports Yonhap news agency.

Starting with the PM9E1, Samsung plans to expand its advanced SSD offerings to global PC makers and expects to launch consumer products based on the product in the future to solidify its market leadership.

"Our PM9E1 integrated with a 5nm controller delivers industry-leading power efficiency and utmost performance validated by our key partners," said Bae Yong-cheol, Samsung's executive vice president of memory product planning.

Meanwhile, the world's largest memory chip maker has started mass production of the industry's thinnest mobile DRAM, LPDDR5X DRAM, tailored to on-device artificial intelligence.

The new 12-nanometer (nm)-class 12 gigabyte (GB) and 16GB LPDDR5X DRAM packages are only 0.65 mm high, making them the thinnest LPDDR DRAM in the industry, according to Samsung.

The new chip, stacking four layers of 12nm-DRAM die, is 9 per cent thinner and 21.2 per cent more efficient in heat resistance compared to its predecessor. Samsung said the ultra-slim LPDDR5X DRAM packages can create additional space within mobile devices, enabling high-performance applications and advanced features like on-device AI.

Riding on the robust performance of its semiconductor business, Samsung's second quarter (Q2) operating profit surged more than 15 times from a year earlier.