Silicon Motion Announces World’s Fastest Single-Chip Controller for External Portable SSDs

We have already seen processors overclock to well over the maximum speed that the chips are rated for. With the release of the XGP series of controllers, Silicon Motion is taking the overclocking world by storm. The XGP-256C controller is the latest addition to the growing family of controllers designed by Silicon Motion for portable Solid-State Drives. The controller is built on the cutting-edge 25nm process, giving it the chance to be the world’s fastest single-chip controller for external portable SSDs.

Today sees the announcement of the world’s fastest single-chip controller for external portable SSDs, bringing us one step closer to the day when the only external storage device you will ever have to buy is an SSD.

We’ve all heard the sales pitches for external storage devices that can be hooked into our computers via USB or FireWire. Most of them promise the world and deliver nothing, but there is one company that has come up with an external portable SSD that actually does everything it promises. That company is Silicon Motion, and the company has announced via its website that it has developed the world’s fastest single-chip controller for external SSDs.

Silicon-Motion-Announces-Worlds-Fastest-Single-Chip-Controller-for-External-Portable Image courtesy of Silicon Motion

When attaching an external USB device, users have often encountered slow performance. Check the package for disclaimers stating that the claimed speeds are not accessible. Silicon Motion has unveiled the world’s fastest single-chip controller for portable SSDs to assist with this. It gets rid of the USB bridge chip, which may slow things down.

The SM2320 interfaces through a USB 3.2 Gen2 x 2 interface, enabling sequential read/write rates of up to 2,100/2,000 MB/s. With compatibility for 1.2V/1.8V NAND, it also consumes less power. The bill of materials, as well as possible research and manufacturing expenses, are reduced when the USB bridge chip is removed. It has a capacity of up to 4 TB and uses ECC technology.

Image courtesy of Silicon Motion

The SM2320 single-chip solution includes a USB 3.2 Gen2 x 2 interface with a 20Gb/s bandwidth, as well as a fully integrated hardware and software solution with four NAND channels and 32 CEs for high-speed data transfers between an external SSD and a host laptop or notebook computer. Because it can communicate directly with the host without the need of an external bridge chip, it allows external SSD makers to shrink their systems and decrease their Bill-Of-Materials (BOM) costs and power usage.

The SM2320 enables new SSD designs to take full use of high-density NAND Flash, including the newest 3D TLC/QLC NAND, with peak sequential read and write transfer rates of 2,100MB/s and 2,000MB/s, respectively, and densities up to 4TB.

The SM2320 improves the durability and data retention of 3D NAND by using Silicon Motion’s patented NANDXtend error-correcting code (ECC) technology, as well as providing complete data integrity protection through SRAM ECC and End-to-End data route security.

In addition, the SM2320 provides AES 256-bit encryption, complete compliance with the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) Opal standard, and supplementary Fingerprint Protection support, ensuring the greatest degree of data security.

The fully integrated SM2320 controller solution may substantially decrease overall system cost and expedite client development schedules.

Silicon Motion is the source of this information (via TechPowerUp)