Sandisk has unveiled a high-capacity 256TB NVMe enterprise SSD at the 2025 Future of Memory and Storage (FMS) event. The annual showcase highlights innovations and trends shaping the memory and storage industry.
SanDisk says the breakthrough in storage capacity, performance and power efficiency is made possible by a new enterprise-grade UltraQLC platform.
The platform introduces high capacity in NAND architecture, incorporating BiCS8 QLC CBA NAND, custom controllers, and advanced system optimisations.
As workloads and business requirements change in the AI era, flash storage is being developed to offer greater customisation for complex demands. The SanDisk 256TB NVMe SSD is designed for AI-focused, data-intensive workloads such as data ingest, preparation, and high-speed AI data lakes.
It offers high performance and power efficiency, with the aim of improving total cost of ownership for high-capacity applications in hyperscale cloud environments.
“As we move into the next phase of the AI era, flash storage is becoming a critical enabler of intelligent, high-performance workloads,” says Sandisk chief product officer Khurram Ismail.
“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. This enables us to further expand our portfolio to meet AI demands at scale and helps our customers move faster, process more and turn data into real innovation.”
The SanDisk UltraQLC 256TB NVMe SSD is designed for hyperscale flash storage and AI-focused data lakes. It offers lower latency, higher bandwidth, and enhanced reliability to support demanding AI workloads.
Key innovations include:
- Direct Write QLC, which eliminates SLC buffering by enabling power-loss safe writes on the first pass.
- BiCS8 2Tb QLC die that doubles storage density while maintaining compact die sizes.
- UltraQLCpower optimisation, which uses Dynamic Frequency Scaling for up to 10% higher performance for a given power level (projected).
- Scalable multi-core controller that helps ensure high throughput and endurance at extreme capacities.
- Data Retention (DR) profile that reduces DR recycles by up to 33% (projected), improving drive reliability, resilience and continuous access to data while decreasing power consumption.
The Sandisk SN670 128TB NVMe SSD and Sandisk UltraQLC 256TB NVMe SSD will be available in U.2 form factor in the first half of 2026, with additional form factors available later in the year.