Intel's super-fast Optane SSD now available for enterprises

It was reported last year that Intel's long-awaited Optane line of SSDs based on a new memory technology, 3D XPoint, would be delayed into 2017-18. Luckily, it seems that we won't have to wait that much longer as consumers, because Intel has just made the first Optane SSD (using 3D XPoint technology) available for purchase by enterprises. The first Optane SSD is called the P4800X and features 375GB of storage. The cost for this fast and exotic storage technology? Just US$1520.

3D XPoint is a new memory architecture developed by Intel and Micron, with Optane being Intel's implementation of the technology. 3D Xpoint is unique as a new type of storage, somewhere between between DRAM and NAND SSDs. It is non-volatile like a NAND SSD, yet it is nearly as fast as DRAM. This performance also means that not only can 3D XPoint SSDs be used for storage, but they can also act as virtual memory more effectively due to their high speeds. Intel will charge consumers to use their "Intel Memory Drive Technology" software to access this function, however.

Though US$1520 is quite a high price right now, prices will certainly come down in the near future.