Intel's most powerful storage technology to replace SSD and memory begins shipping

Every gamer wants to have 3D Xpoint. This is the view expressed by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. He has repeatedly emphasized that the day when Intel's Optane technology storage comes out will be the beginning of the replacement of traditional SSDs and memory in the PC industry. Recently, Intel officially announced that it has started selling the first generation of Optane storage, and the research and development of the next generation of technology is already underway.

Intel Optane storage is a storage solution that brings revolutionary 3D Xpoint technology non-volatile memory media to memory and SSDs. It was developed jointly with Micron and integrates Intel's advanced system memory controller, interface hardware and software IP. It can fully unleash huge performance potential and is not only more than 10 times faster than SSDs, but can even be used as memory.

Currently, the first generation of Optane storage has only appeared in some high-end laptops, but has not yet been put on the market. Intel's announcement of the official release indicates that Optane storage designed for laptops will not only be shipped in the second quarter, but will also have a separately sold storage version. Intel hopes that in the future, Optane storage will be smaller, denser, cheaper, more durable, and more widely available.

This is definitely good news for a large number of PC users, because as a new thing, the cost and actual selling price of Optane storage are quite expensive, and the capacity is limited. For example, the Optane storage installed in the ThinkPad T series is only 16GB. For this reason, Intel explained that the current purpose of this type of storage is to accelerate system data transmission in large quantities, which can be used for analysis and deep learning applications to improve the experience, but the ultimate goal must be to "unify memory and storage", but it may take a relatively long time.

Intel's Optane storage partner Micron also announced a brand for 3D Xpoint technology storage, called QuantX, to jointly promote the development of this technology. At the same time, Micron also confirmed that the first generation of Optane-based memory is already in testing and will be available for shipment soon.

The demand for enterprise-class solid-state drives is mainly for high capacity and high performance, so Diane Bryant, president of Intel's data center business, said Optane will not enter this field yet, and that development in 2017 will still be relatively mild. The focus this year will still be investment, with funds being put into factories and research and development.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.