At its recent Investor Day, Sandisk revealed its plans for UltraQLC-based 1PB SSDs and discussed the future of 3D DRAM, though the latter remains a long-term challenge.
UltraQLC SSDs: The Future of High-Density Storage
Sandisk’s UltraQLC is not a new type of memory but a combination of BICS 8 QLC 3D NAND, a 64-channel custom controller, and advanced firmware. The controller is key to optimizing performance by:
- Reducing latency and increasing bandwidth via hardware accelerators.
- Enhancing energy efficiency through dynamic power scaling.
- Improving performance using an advanced bus multiplexer for full-channel utilization.
The first UltraQLC SSDs will feature 128TB capacities using 2Tb NAND memory chips. Over time, Sandisk envisions 256TB, 512TB, and eventually 1PB SSDs, driven by future high-capacity NAND advancements.
3D DRAM: A Long Road Ahead
AI and high-performance computing require massive memory bandwidth, but traditional DRAM scaling is struggling to keep up. Sandisk acknowledged the “memory wall” problem, where AI models grow 10x every 1-2 years, increasing memory demands.
Sandisk’s memory technology chief, Alper Ilkbahar, outlined three possible solutions:
- Brute-force DRAM scaling – costly and inefficient.
- 3D DRAM – vertical stacking, similar to NAND, but currently technologically unfeasible.
- New scalable memory technologies (HBF) – Sandisk’s preferred approach as an alternative to DRAM.
Industry Shifts & Future Technologies
With Sandisk and Western Digital preparing to split, both companies used Investor Day to reveal upcoming advancements, including High Bandwidth Flash (HBF) and Heat Dot Magnetic Recording (HDMR) technologies.
While UltraQLC SSDs are a tangible near-term development, 3D DRAM remains a long-term challenge. As AI and hyperscale computing evolve, Sandisk’s innovations in storage and memory technologies could play a key role in shaping the future of high-performance computing.
