After a long wait, the next generation of Intel's SSD technology is finally ready and it's really, really fast. This is thanks to the work developed by Intel and Micron Technology.
Intel and Micron Technology have been working on next-generation memory technology since the year of 2012, it has been named 3D XPoint, and it is absurdly fast. A good way to think about it is as a compromise between DRAM speed and traditional flash storage capacity.
Unlike RAM, the technology 3D XPoint it is not volatile (it does not lose what it is storing when it is turned off), and it is about four times more dense. It is more expensive per gigabyte than NAND flash, the current technology within SSDs is faster in almost all possible ways, especially when it comes to latency and reading / writing small bits of data.
Intel is already selling its first product with the new technology: the 4800GB Intel Optane SSD DC P375X. It is a slot PCIe that costs 1520 USD, which works with the same standard NVMe which is popular for traditional SSDs these days.
In some media, 3D XPoint technology is being termed as the new king. Although it is mainly only for companies so far, but it may require some changes in the software to be used to the fullest, and it will not destroy the NAND or RAM markets anytime soon, but it is certainly good to have that kind of competition.
Get to know the first portable device in the same segment of Western Digital.
