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Back at Computex we weren’t able to cover JMicron’s latest plans and products, but now at FMS we were able to catch a meeting with them. On display was their current lineup of controllers and while not as high performance as some we have been seeing, for them it is about efficiency, stability and driving down cost.
At the far end they were showing off the JMF680, which aims to bring 3D TLC NAND support and deliver speeds of up to 550MB/s read and 500MB/s write to consumer SSDs. Also, it will support capacities up to 2TB, which is exactly they need with upcoming competitors offering high capacity solutions. For those who don’t already know, the current JMF670F only supports up to 512GB. The JMF680 will be the mainstream controller while the JMF670F will be their entry level one. This controller will be available in 2016.
Next to it was the JMF608 micro SSD controller (uSSD). It is a controller form factor that combines both the controller and NAND into a single package, similar to eMMC. This allows for a very compact design that can be used for a few unique cases. On display for example, SSD controller is currently being used by a WD Blue SSHD where it is an 8GB cache to the platters to help speed up performance.
Continuing down the line they had the JMF60F and JMF815 on display. The JMF60F is a cost effective DRAM-less controller that is targeted towards the entry level consumer market as well as the industrial storage market. DRAM accounts for a decent portion of an SSD’s bill of materials cost, cutting it out as well as it being a 2-channel design helps reduce final product sale prices. For the industrial market it allows for more reliability. No DRAM results in a lower chance of data corruption in the case of a power loss as the NAND making table is not in volatile DRAM.
Next up we have the JMF815. It is a cost effective PCIe Gen 3.0 x2 controller that supports 3D NAND and is aimed to be their high-end contender. It supports speeds of up to 1.2GB/s read and 1GB/s write as well as capacities up to 2TB. We should expect products containing this controller in early 2016.
Finally, they also went on to explain to us that they are working on Write Booster 2.0. Just before our trip to FMS we reviewed the ADATA XPG SX930 which features a JMF670F controller, which features Write Booster 1.0. Write booster is a SLC caching technology to help increase the SSD’s write speeds. Version 2.0 allows for lower latency as well as the ability to design SSDs with “zero” over provisioning for increased usable capacities.
JMicron have been working hard on developing higher quality controllers and more stable firmware to meet the needs of the market over the past few years and are ready to deliver some great products in 2016. Stay tuned as we wrap up our coverage of FMS 2015!