SSDs based on Phison's next-generation E26 PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD controller have reportedly been delayed. The SSDs were previously slated for launch during September alongside AMD's new Ryzen 7000 platform however, it's the end of November and we still haven't seen any next-gen SSD in action yet.
Phison's PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD Miss September/November Launch Timeframe
AMD and Phison displayed the E26 master chip using the PCIe Gen5 SSD on AMD's Ryzen 7000 CPUs during the 2022 Flash Memory Summit earlier this year. The two companies demonstrated that the new SSD generation would allow for read speeds of 12.5 GB/s. The E26 control chip, working with the 3D-TLC flash memory, provides a bandwidth of 2400 MT/s along with the read speeds.
The company did announce in a blog post on May 17, 2022, that it was anticipating releasing PCIe Gen5 SSDs in mass production in the third quarter of 2022. But we are almost at the tail end of Q4 as we enter December and there's still no word on the retail availability of PCIe Gen5 products.
Phison’s PCIe 5.0 Redriver IC PS7101 is actively shipping samples, and has received system design recognition from many mainstream motherboard, server, industrial computer and cable developers. Mass-produced products by end customers are expected to be launched in Q3 2022.
— Phison blog post, May 17, 2022.
It was reported that the maximum read speeds with the newest PCIe Gen5 generation would reach as high as 14 GB/s, especially with more unique NAND flash memory particle technology backing the process. This delay could be an issue for not only AMD but Intel as well, as Intel also has opened support for PCIe Gen5 SSDs.
There has been no official word from Phison about the mass shipment release delay. The company stated that shipments of the PCIe Gen5 E26 started in October. Phison recently received an award for the X1 SSD customizable platform, which allowed the company to deliver more computing at a lower energy cost. The X1 controller-based SSD from the company became more of a focus over the following months.
