Intel combines Optane memory with qlc-nand in new SSDs

Intel has hinted in the context of the CES fair in Las Vegas that it will release new SSDs, in which the company combines Optane memory with qlc-nand. These are solid state disks in an m2 form factor.

Intel reports that with the new SSDs, which come out under the name Intel Optane Memory H10, it wants to combine the best of both worlds: the speed and performance of Optane, or 3D Xpoint memory, and the capacity of qlc nand memory.

Techradar reports that Intel has said that the Intel Optane Memory H10 modules in most off-the-shelf OEM systems and laptops are configured to be recognized as a single device. This means that the modules in other configurations could be seen as two different NVME SSDs, where the PCI-e port may need to be split via bifurcation for the SSDs to function properly.

The chipmaker will release three models, increasing in capacity and price. First of all, there will be an Optane Memory H10 module with 16GB Optane memory and qlc memory with a capacity of 256GB. The middle position is occupied by a module with 32GB Optane memory and 512GB qlc-nand, followed by the most expensive model with 32GB Optane memory and 1TB of qlc-nand memory.

The new SSD modules should be on the market sometime in the spring of this year, although an exact release date has not yet been announced. It is also still unknown how much the SSDs will cost.