Samsung has unveiled its latest SSD, the BM1743, with an impressive storage capacity of 61.44 TB. This SSD utilizes Samsung's seventh-generation 3D NAND (V-NAND) technology, featuring 176 layers of memory cells. This is a significant improvement from its predecessor, the BM1733, which had 96-layer technology and a maximum capacity of 32 TB. The BM1743 offers impressive performance, with up to 1.6 million random read IOPS and 110,000 random write IOPS, along with sequential read and write speeds of 7.2 GB/s and 2.0 GB/s, respectively. These specifications make the drive ideal for read-intensive workloads. Samsung claims that the new SSD offers double the sequential read and write speeds of its fifth-generation technology, with random reads quadrupling in performance. This advancement indicates that QLC SSDs are now approaching the performance levels of TLC SSDs while offering higher storage density.
The BM1743 is available in the traditional U.2 form factor, with an E3.S variant supporting PCIe Gen 5 also available, thanks to the custom Samsung controller. Samsung has improved the durability and data retention capabilities of the BM1743, with an endurance rating of 0.26 DWPD throughout its warranty period, compared to the BM1733's 0.18 DWPD. Additionally, the BM1743 extends its power-off data retention to three months, triple the one-month period of its predecessor. Samsung has hinted at a potential 122.88 TB model in the future, which would double the capacity of the BM1743. This new offering puts Samsung in direct competition with Solidigm's D5-P5336, which has been a leader in the high-capacity SSD market. High-density storage solutions are becoming increasingly important as AI and HPC tasks require and generate large amounts of data.
