Phison's latest "E31T" PCIe Gen5 controller has finally been showcased by the firm, targeting to make the SSDs cheaper & more widely available.
Phison's E31T SSD Controller Is The First "DRAM-Less" Gen5 Device, Offers Tremendous Performance Under Budget & No Heatsinks Required
In the modern era, Gen5 SSDs offer tremendous read/write speeds along with efficiencies, yet the only barrier preventing their mass adoption is high pricing. For example, Corsair's MP700 Pro, which utilizes Phison's cutting-edge E26 SSD controller, goes for well above the $150 mark, reaching up to $400 if you opt for the top configuration. However, with the new PS5031-E31T controller by Phison, the company aims to make PCIe 5 SSDs much more cost-efficient, with some strip-downs, which we'll discuss next.
Moving onto the specifications, Phison says that their new E31T controller is the world's first "DRAM-less" Gen5 SSD controller, which is how they have lowered costs. However, in terms of performance, the E31T packs a punch since it is the first mainstream "10 GB/s" platform by the company, with 4K random read and write IOPS rated at 1,500K. The controller is also equipped with four NAND channels, built upon TSMC's 7nm process, and features two Arm Cortex-R5 cores.
To boost performance, Phison's E31T controller utilizes the proprietary seventh-generation ECC engine based on the LPDC coding scheme to ensure increased performance and data reliability. So, with all of these features onboard, we expect the Gen5 SSD segment to witness a boost in the influx of relatively less pricey products, with most of them probably utilizing the E31T controller, given that we haven't seen competitors come up with a similar offering. It will be interesting to see what sort of performance we witness with the consumer SSD products once they hit the markets.
Regarding release and production dates, Phison says that their PS5031-E31T controller is expected to be shipped out by Q4 2024, so we might see consumer products drop by in the first quarter of next year.
News Source: Phison
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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