Intel claims 3D NAND memory will help it deliver SSDs with a massive 10TB of storage within the next two years.
Storage capacity is currently the biggest problem with SSDs, which still lag far behind hard disks when it comes to price per GB and overall capacity. However, Intel claims 3D NAND will help deliver hard disk-rivalling capacities at "disruptive" prices within the foreseeable future.
3D NAND has been developed in conjunction with Micron, and allows for the stacking of multiple layers of NAND memory on a single die. Intel's Non-Volatile Memory Group manager, Rob Cooke, said the company could stack 32 individual layers, to create 48GB of storage on a die. That would lead to 10TB SSDs within the next couple of years, according to a slide presentation to Intel investors given by Cooke, who also promised that it could be delivered at "breakthrough cost".
That will help SSDs reach mass-market adoption by 2018, Cooke claimed in a subsequent slide.
Intel currently offers 2TB SSDs for use in data centres, but they cost in the region of £3,000 (approximately AU$5,536). Samsung offers a 1TB SSD for consumer PCs, which costs a much more reasonable £330 (approximately AU$608), but is still around £275 (approximately AU$507) more expensive than an equivalent size hard disk.
Intel also briefed investors on plans to deliver thumb-sized x86 computers, similar to those used in the ARM-based Google Chromecast and other similar devices. Intel says its rival will launch next year.
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