MWC 2015 | SanDisk introduces iNAND 7132 eMMC storage and several storage accessories

The storage giant SanDisk has taken MWC 2015 by storm, announcing plenty of new storage solutions. The company now offers two new microSD cards: a very high capacity 200 GB one and a high-endurance model meant for video enthusiasts, promising to endure at least 10 thousand hours of Full HD video recording. The iXpand storage accessory is now also available in 128 GB and there's a new USB drive equipped with both the regular USB 3.0 and the new USB 3.1 Type C connectors. For storage enthusiasts, that's a lot to be excited about.

However, the most interesting announcement is the new iNAND 7132 embedded flash storage solution for mobile systems. It follows the eMMC 5.0 specification and, according to SanDisk, delivers speeds of up to 280 MB/s (sequential read) and 125 MB/s (sequential write). Random IOPS (Input/Output Operations per Second) cannot keep up with those of Samsung's new UFS 2.0 memory at "only" 3300/2800 (read/write), but SanDisk assures that the storage has been tested thoroughly and will not bottleneck any existing standards. Included in the testing were Wi-Fi standards 802.11ac and 802.11ad (more information about it here, see "Wireless Docking"), Ultra HD 4K video recording and RAW photography (up to 3 fps).

The underlying architecture of the iNAND 7132 is also an object for curiosity. For its main storage layer, the chip uses 19 nm TLC (Tri-Level Cell) NAND which is denser and cheaper than SLC (Single-Level Cell) or MLC (Multi-Level Cell) but loses to them on endurance. To counter this, SanDisk is using what it calls "Accelerator Architecture": a smaller SLC ("SmartSLC") layer "catches" random I/O and transforms it into a sequential data burst, which not only reduces the main TLC NAND's wear but also increases burst transfer speed. SanDisk claims that even witn intense 24/7 use this storage will achieve a lifespan of 10 years - longer than most consumer electronics end up being used nowadays.

The company already offers iNAND 7132 samples (currently limited at 64 GB) to its partners but there's no word on when some actual products based on it might ship. The new accessories, however, should become available already this or the next month.

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