Samsung is planning to launch a mind-bogglingly large 512TB solid-state drive (SSD), but don’t expect to see it in your laptop anytime soon. The Korean tech giant announced its plans at a recent industry forum, making it clear that the new drive is designed for the massive data centers that power the artificial intelligence boom.
The new 512TB drive will use the next-generation PCIe Gen6 interface, which promises a huge leap in speed and performance. Samsung says the new drive will also be incredibly energy efficient, a critical factor for the power-hungry data centers it’s designed for. The company didn’t give an exact release date, but the new drive isn’t expected to arrive until at least 2027.
In the meantime, Samsung is already rolling out a 256TB version of its current PCIe Gen5 SSD. The company also discussed its next-generation memory technologies, including a new Z-NAND specifically designed for AI workloads where speed is crucial.
Samsung isn’t the only one in this race. Competitors like SK Hynix and Kioxia are also developing their own PCIe Gen6 SSDs, all aiming to meet the insatiable demand for larger, faster storage in the AI world.
While it’s exciting to think about a 512TB drive, it’s a clear sign of how the tech world is splitting. The most powerful and cutting-edge technology is now being built for the enterprise world, where the demands of AI are pushing the limits of what’s possible. For the rest of us, it will be a long time before we see that kind of capacity in our personal computers.
