Western Digital has made a significant leap in portable storage technology by introducing the world’s first 8TB SD card and a 16TB external SSD, catering to tech enthusiasts and professionals who require high-capacity, portable storage solutions. Announced at the Future Memory and Storage Conference (FMS2024), these innovations highlight Western Digital’s continued leadership in the storage industry, especially under its SanDisk brand.
Revolutionary Storage Solutions for Consumers
Among the products showcased, the 8TB SanDisk SDUC UHS-I SD card stands out, offering unprecedented storage capacity for an SD card. This development is particularly exciting for users of gaming devices, drones, cameras, and smartphones, where having ample storage in a compact form is crucial. The card, along with the new 4TB SanDisk microSDUC UHS-I card, boasts speeds of up to 100MB/s, ensuring swift data transfers and reliable performance across various devices.
Equally impressive is the new 16TB version of the SanDisk Desk Drive, which doubles the capacity of Western Digital’s previous largest external SSD. This expansion in storage capacity is a game-changer for users who rely on massive storage on the go, including photographers, videographers, and professionals dealing with large data files. Western Digital also hinted at a portable version of this drive, currently in the proof-of-concept stage, which could soon offer even more flexibility to users needing substantial portable storage.
Advancements Beyond Consumer Products
Western Digital’s innovations extend beyond consumer-grade products. At FMS2024, the company also showcased cutting-edge technology aimed at enterprise and data center markets. This includes a 128TB high-capacity QLC eSSD for AI data lakes and capacity-intensive applications, a 32TB ePMR SMR HDD for large-scale data storage, and a new 64TB eSSD designed for storage-heavy tasks. Additionally, WD demonstrated its RapidFlex interposer technology, which enables PCIe SSD signals to convert to Ethernet, enhancing system architecture flexibility.
Pricing and Availability
While the groundbreaking storage products are likely to come with hefty price tags, the impact they could have on various industries is undeniable. The 8TB SanDisk Desk Drive is priced at $700, and other products in the line, such as the 1TB SanDisk Extreme Pro SD UHS-I card, are priced around $180. Details regarding the release dates and pricing for the newly announced products are yet to be confirmed, but they are expected to be premium offerings.
