SK hynix showcases Platinum P51: High-performance PCIe 5.0 SSD for consumers

During the Nvidia GTC 2024 conference, SK Hynix captivated attendees with its theme, “Memory, The Power of AI,” showcasing a wide array of products including the 12-layer HBM3E, CXL (Compute Express Link), and PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Of particular interest to the general consumer is the high-performance PCIe 5.0 SSD, model Platinum P51, based on the “PCB01” consumer product.

SK Hynix has announced that “PCB01” has undergone rigorous performance and stability validations by major global clients, with development slated for completion within the first half of the year and a launch aimed at both large-scale clients and general consumers within this year. The device is powered by SK Hynix’s proprietary “Alistar” controller chip, paired with 238-layer 3D TLC NAND flash memory, achieving industry-leading continuous read speeds of up to 14GB/s and write speeds of 12GB/s.

Designed with AI PC optimization in mind, the PCB01 offers a twofold speed increase compared to its predecessors, capable of loading large language models for AI learning and inference in just one second. Additionally, its power efficiency has seen a 30% improvement over previous models, effectively managing the power consumption demands of large-scale AI computations. Moreover, SK Hynix’s engineering team has implemented SLC caching technology, enabling select NAND flash memory cells to operate in a high-speed SLC mode for rapid access to essential data, thus enhancing read-write speeds.

However, according to SK Hynix, the Platinum P51’s read and write speeds are slightly lower, at 13.5GB/s and 11.5GB/s, respectively. The Platinum P51 will be available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB variants, though specific launch dates and pricing details have yet to be disclosed by SK Hynix.