Western Digital teases Gen5 SSD: up to 15GB/sec reads with just 5W in low-power mode

Western Digital showed off its next-gen storage solutions at FMS 2024 last week, including a new Gen5 SSD using its in-house Gen5 SSD controller pushing 15GB/sec with just 7W power consumption.

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WD's new Gen5 SSD (source: AnandTech)

The company has been pushing out Gen4 SSDs with great speeds, but Western Digital has yet to enter the Gen5 SSD space, but we're getting close. Western Digital will use its in-house Gen5 SSD controller which uses BiCS8 218-layer 3D TLC NAND and features up to 8-channel DRAM and 4-channel non-DRAM.

Western Digital says its new Gen5 SSD will have up to 2TB capacity and twice the performance of its Gen4 SSDs, with a 55% efficiency uplift over Gen4 SSDs. The company also showed off its new Gen5 SSDs inside of laptops (mobile workstations) which marks the first time we've seen Gen5 SSDs inside of a laptop (which is so good to see).

Western Digital has its upcoming high-end "Performance" Gen5 SSD that has a power draw of just 7W, pushing an insane 15GB/sec speeds and over 2 million random IOPS. Most Gen5 SSDs use over 10W of power, while WD's upcoming "Mainstream" Gen5 SSD has a DRAM-less design with 4 channels, and speeds of up to 10.7GB/sec with power consumption of under 5W.

• Read more: Western Digital's new monster 6TB external HDD: world's highest-capacity 2.5-inch portable HDD

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On the mobile workstation side, Western Digital's new Gen5 SSD has a 90% efficiency uplift over Gen4 SSDs, with 10.7GB/sec of read speeds and low power (great for laptops). We generally see high-speed Gen5 SSDs needing a large heatsink -- or even active cooling -- but Western Digital's new Gen5 SSD and its power consumption being far lower, leads to lower temperatures inside of laptops.

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Rob Soderbery, executive vice president and general manager of Western Digital's Flash Business Unit, said: "As AI technologies advance and become increasingly embedded in the world around us, the demand for storage will only continue to grow. Western Digital's product and technology roadmaps are strategically aligned to ensure our customers have the most advanced, reliable solutions to stay ahead in the rapidly changing AI landscape. This holistic approach ensures that our customers receive the most power-efficient, high-performing and high-capacity solutions tailored to their specific needs. We are excited to showcase our full range of products and new technologies and demonstrate how they can transform AI now and into the future".

We should see Western Digital's new Gen5 SSDs hit the market in 2025.