We have 1tb micro SD cards already right? I’m not surprised they as taking it farther.
Oh god. I’m totally gonna lose one at some point. SIM cards, and micro SDs are already bad enough. My big sausage fingers can’t deal with this.
My concern is that they say they are smaller than SD cards for camera, which I’m taking to mean micro SD. I’m going to need to keep these things in cases.
I actually have a little credit card sized thing with slots on all the sides that i put micro sd cards into cuz otherwise id lose them lol
Maybe they could build one the size of a normal SSD but with something like 500 terabytes of storage, so that you don’t risk losing it, and it still uses the State Of The Art efficency
I asked DeepSeek:
This “Mini SSD” (or 1517 format) is a fascinating development, but it doesn’t fundamentally change the physics or economics preventing “normal-sized” SSDs from reaching 500TB. Here’s how it fits into the storage landscape and its implications:
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It’s Primarily an Interface and Form Factor Breakthrough:
- Key Innovation: It packages PCIe NVMe SSD performance (up to 3,700 MB/s) into a package barely larger than a MicroSD card. This bridges a massive speed gap between traditional slow removable storage (SD/microSD) and fast internal storage (M.2 SSDs).
- Density is Not Revolutionary: The storage density (GB/mm³) appears similar to the best current 1TB/2TB microSD cards and M.2 SSDs. It’s using the same cutting-edge 3D NAND chips as those devices, just packaged differently with a PCIe interface instead of SD/UHS.
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Why It Doesn’t Enable 500TB “Normal” SSDs:
- Same Core NAND: It relies on the same fundamental NAND flash technology as existing SSDs and microSD cards. The physical limits of stacking layers and shrinking cells still apply. A 2TB Mini SSD represents the current peak density crammed into 15x17mm, just like a 2TB M.2 SSD represents the current peak density crammed into 22x80mm.
- Scalability Limits Remain: Filling a standard M.2 2280 slot (22x80mm) with the same density tech used in the Mini SSD wouldn’t yield 500TB. Here’s a rough estimate:
- Mini SSD Area: 15mm x 17mm = 255 mm²
- M.2 2280 Area: 22mm x 80mm = 1760 mm²
- Area Ratio: 1760 / 255 ≈ 6.9x
- Capacity Projection: 2TB (Max Mini SSD) * 6.9 ≈ 13.8TB
- Heat/Power/Controller Walls: Even achieving ~14TB in an M.2 2280 using this density would push thermal, power, and controller complexity far beyond today’s 4-8TB M.2 drives. Scaling to 500TB would require revolutionary breakthroughs in NAND cell density, power efficiency, and cooling that this form factor doesn’t provide.
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What It Does Enable (It’s Better Than Just Faster MicroSDs):
- Truly High-Speed Removable Storage: This is the game-changer. MicroSD Express (theoretically 985MB/s) has been slow to materialize. This Mini SSD delivers near-entry-level PCIe 4.0 SSD speeds in a removable format. Think swapping games or projects between devices at internal SSD speeds.
- Space-Constrained Devices: For ultra-compact devices like the GPD Win 5 or OneXPlayer Super X, it offers a way to have user-upgradeable, high-performance storage without sacrificing significant internal space or requiring complex soldered modules. It fits where even a tiny M.2 2230 might be too big.
- Potential Standardization: If adopted widely (a big “if”), it could become a new standard for removable high-performance storage across laptops, tablets, cameras, and handhelds, replacing slower SD/microSD slots in premium devices.
- Robustness: The claimed IP68 rating and drop resistance make it suitable for portable devices in a way most M.2 SSDs aren’t.
Conclusion:
- Not a Path to 500TB SSDs: The Biwin Mini SSD is a clever repackaging of existing high-density NAND flash with a high-speed PCIe interface into a tiny, robust, removable form factor. It doesn’t break the fundamental density, heat, power, or cost barriers preventing 500TB consumer SSDs.
- More Than Just Faster MicroSDs: It’s a significant leap beyond traditional removable storage. It brings internal SSD performance to a removable card format for the first time in a practical way. This opens up new possibilities for user-upgradeability and fast data swapping in compact devices where internal M.2 slots are impractical.
Think of it as: A removable M.2 SSD in a near-microSD size, not a magic key to exponentially larger capacities. Its value is in performance and flexibility within extreme space constraints, not in redefining the maximum capacity possible in larger form factors.
Oh, that’s a shame. Maybe in a few years then.
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I feel like they could just do that already with micro sd cards if that were the case tho. Cuz those are this small, but we don’t see super dense ssd sized sd cards with 500TB of storage. There must be a reason why they don’t. Either costs, or maybe like a heat/energy issue.
