Sandisk Unveils 256TB NVMe Enterprise SSD with UltraQLC Platform at FMS 2025

SanDisk has showcased its UltraQLC technology platform with a 256TB NVMe enterprise SSD, a breakthrough in storage capacity, performance, and power efficiency. The platform combines BiCS8 QLC CBA NAND, custom controllers, and advanced system optimizations. The new SSD is designed for AI-driven workloads like data ingest, preparation, and fast AI data lakes, with high-performance speeds and power efficiency, while improving TCO for high-capacity applications in hyperscale cloud.

SanDisk has made a significant stride in the realm of flash storage technology with the unveiling of its UltraQLC™ platform, which powers a 256TB NVMe™ enterprise SSD. This groundbreaking achievement is a testament to the company's commitment to innovation and its ability to meet the evolving demands of the AI era.

The UltraQLC™ platform integrates BiCS8 QLC CBA NAND, custom controllers, and advanced system optimizations to deliver extraordinary capacity, performance, and power efficiency. This new SSD is specifically designed for AI-driven, data-intensive workloads such as data ingest, preparation, and fast AI data lakes, ensuring high-performance speeds and power efficiency while improving total cost of ownership (TCO) for high-capacity applications in hyperscale cloud environments.

According to Khurram Ismail, Chief Product Officer at SanDisk, "As we move into the next phase of the AI era, flash storage is becoming a critical enabler of intelligent, high-performance workloads. Our UltraQLC™ platform is the culmination of years of work and learnings to build a flexible and robust architecture that achieves extraordinary capacities and maximum performance while maintaining efficiency."

Key innovations within the UltraQLC™ platform include Direct Write QLC, which eliminates SLC buffering and enables power-loss safe writes on the first pass, and BiCS8 2Tb QLC die that doubles storage density while maintaining compact die sizes. Additionally, UltraQLC™ power optimization uses Dynamic Frequency Scaling to achieve up to 10% higher performance for a given power level. The platform also features a scalable multi-core controller and a Data Retention (DR) profile that reduces DR recycles by up to 33%, enhancing drive reliability and resilience while decreasing power consumption.

The SANDISK® UltraQLC™ 256TB1 NVMe™ SSD and SANDISK® SN670 128TB1 NVMe™ SSD will be available in U.2 form factor by the first half of 2026, with additional form factors to be introduced later in the year. SanDisk will showcase its UltraQLC™ platform and the milestone 256TB1 NVMe™ SSD at the Flash Memory Summit (FMS) 2025, held on Wednesday, August 6, at 11:40 AM PT, in Booth #607.

References:
[1] https://www.marketscreener.com/news/sandisk-showcases-ultraqlca-technology-platform-with-milestone-enterprise-ssd-capacity-at-fms-2025-ce7c5ed8d98bf020
[2] https://www.stocktitan.net/news/SNDK/sandisk-showcases-ultra-qlctm-technology-platform-with-milestone-0srt007f8y6v.html