➀ Western Digital's Ultrastar DC SN861 SSDs use Fadu's FC5161 controller, a South Korean company specializing in enterprise SSD solutions. ➁ The FC5161 supports 16 NAND channels and offers advanced enterprise features like OCP Cloud Spec 2.0 and SR-IOV. ➂ The SN861 provides high-speed performance with sequential read speeds up to 13.7 GB/s and write speeds up to 7.5 GB/s, available in capacities from 1.6 TB to 7.68 TB.

➀ Western Digital introduces 4 TB microSDUC and 8 TB SDUC cards with UHS-I speeds, and two 16 TB external SSDs. ➁ All products utilize BiCS8 QLC NAND technology. ➂ The 16 TB external SSDs include a SanDisk Desk Drive and a SanDisk Extreme Pro model, with the latter being a technology demonstration.

➀ Western Digital showcased their upcoming PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 2280 NVMe SSDs at FMS 2024, targeting mobile workstations and consumer desktops. ➁ The company demonstrated two versions: a performance segment drive with an 8-channel controller and a mainstream version with a 4-channel DRAM-less controller, both using BiCS8 218-layer 3D TLC. ➂ Western Digital emphasized the power efficiency of their platform, promising low power consumption under stressful traffic, making it suitable for both mobile workstations and desktops.

➀ Western Digital has teased a 128 TB SSD using BiCS8 QLC NAND, designed for AI data lakes and capacity-intensive applications. ➁ The BiCS8 NAND features 218 layers and a hybrid bonding scheme, suitable for Gen 4+ drives. ➂ The SSD's firmware is optimized for AI checkpointing, supporting sequential writes and simultaneous read operations.

1. Western Digital has announced the sampling of a 32TB hard drive using EAMR and SMR technologies, targeting hyperscalers. 2. The drive incorporates advanced technologies such as ePMR, triple-stage actuators, OptiNAND, and UltraSMR for enhanced capacity and reliability. 3. This move brings Western Digital's capacity on par with Seagate's 30TB Exos HDDs, although Seagate still leads in areal density.

1. Western Digital has introduced an 8 TB version of its SN850X SSD, doubling the top capacity. 2. The new drive uses a 4-channel controller and BiCS 5 112L NAND, offering peak read speeds of 7,200 MB/sec and write speeds of 6,600 MB/sec. 3. The 8 TB model comes with a price premium and is available both with and without a heatsink.

1. Western Digital has introduced the updated WD Blue SN5000 series SSDs, adding a 4TB model to its budget NVMe SSD lineup. 2. The new series features an in-house WD controller, supports PCIe 4.0 x4, and uses a mix of BiCS 5 TLC and BiCS 6 QLC NAND depending on the model. 3. Despite using QLC NAND, the 4TB model is touted to offer better performance and endurance than the lower capacity models.

➀ Kioxia's IPO on the Tokyo Stock Exchange valued the company at $5.8 billion. The Bain-led consortium, which previously owned 56.2% of Kioxia, sold a small number of shares to reduce its holding to 50.7%. The consortium paid $18 billion for its stake in 2008. ➁ Before the IPO, other significant shareholders included Toshiba (41%) and Hoya (3%). The Japanese government bailout funds INCJ and DBJ controlled 16.7% of the voting rights. ➂ Kioxia holds a 13.8% share of the NAND market.

➀ Kioxia is set to receive approval for its listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange at a valuation of $4.84 billion. The company's valuation has dropped sharply from its previous cancelled IPO in October, where it was seeking a valuation of $10.3 billion.➁ Kioxia has faced various offers and acquisitions over the years, including a $30 billion offer from Foxconn in 2017, a $18 billion acquisition by a Bain-led consortium in 2018, and a $20 billion offer from Western Digital in 2022.➂ The Bain consortium owns 56% of Kioxia, Toshiba owns 41%, and the Japanese government bail-out funds INCJ and DBJ control 16.7% of the voting rights.

➀ Kioxia is expected to file for an IPO on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in H1 2025 using a new listing process. The company decided not to proceed with a planned listing in October due to unfavourable market conditions. The new process allows the company to engage with potential investors before the IPO is approved, making the valuation less susceptible to market fluctuations.➁ Kioxia aims to achieve a valuation of $6.5 billion at its listing next year, down from the $10.3 billion it was seeking before the cancelled October IPO.➂ The company has a complex ownership structure with Bain consortium and Toshiba owning significant stakes, and Japanese government funds controlling a portion of the voting rights.

➀ The storage industry is experiencing a mixed situation with the revival of DRAM and NAND, and the rise of HBM, but the industry's future is not clear and growth has slowed down; ➁ SK Hynix is optimistic about its prospects, having started mass production of 12-layer HBM3E, and is set to supply advanced chips to Nvidia; ➂ Samsung is facing challenges, with its DRAM department lagging behind SK Hynix in HBM technology; ➃ Micron's stock has seen significant fluctuations due to strong AI demand, but it still faces challenges in the HBM market; ➄ Kioxia's future is uncertain due to its ownership by SK Hynix and its failed merger with Western Digital; ➅ Western Digital is considering a split into HDD and NAND/SSD divisions due to the underperformance of its NAND business.

➀ Western Digital has released an 8TB WD_Black SN850P NVMe SSD, officially licensed for PlayStation 5, doubling the previous 4TB capacity. ➁ The 8TB version costs $999.99, significantly more expensive than the 4TB version. ➂ Despite slightly lower sequential read speeds, the SSD maintains high performance in other metrics, making it ideal for gamers needing large storage for AAA titles.

➀ Western Digital announced a 128TB enterprise SSD using BiCS8 QLC NAND at FMS 2024. ➁ The company also introduced 8TB SD cards and a 16TB external SSD. ➂ WD showcased innovations in data center storage and consumer/client solutions.

1. Western Digital's My Passport now offers a 6TB capacity, up from the previous 5TB. 2. The increase in storage comes with a significant price increase. 3. The 6TB model is thicker than its 5TB predecessor and slower compared to portable SSDs.