Phison shows how PCIe 5.0 storage works with read speeds above 12GB/s

Phison has shown a prototype NVMe SSD based on the PS5026-E26 with PCIe 5.0 x4 interface announced earlier this year.
The chip will be used in high-performance gaming M.2 SSD models, as well as in enterprise applications.Picture source: PhisonAccording to the PCIe 5.0 x4 interface, bandwidth of 15.8 GB/s in both directions, SSDs using this interface will be significantly faster than current PCIe 4.0 solutions.
In addition, next-generation SSDs based on future-oriented controllers with PCIe 5.0 support will offer higher storage capacities and greater reliability than current solutions.
Phison showed an NVMe-drive based on PS5026-E26 controller, equipped with 1TB of Micron 3D TLC NAND memory.
The SSD had a maximum sequential read speed of 12,457 Mbytes/s and a maximum write speed of 10,023 Mbytes/s (CrystalDiskMark data).
As for the 4K random read and write performance, it achieves 1.31 and 1.16 million IOPS, respectively.
These numbers are significantly higher than most consumer SSDs with PCIe 4.0 x4 interface.
The first generation Phison PS5026-E26 controller features Arm Cortex-R5 cores, as well as dedicated CoXProcessor 2.0 cores.
The controller can work with any type of 3D NAND flash memory, which meets Toggle 5.0 and ONFi 5.0 specifications, and operates at up to 2400 MHz.
As Phison is positioning this controller as the foundation not only for consumer SSD models, but also for enterprise-level solutions, the chip also offers support for features such as PCIe Dual Port for U.3-format drives, single root I/O virtualization (SR-IOV) features, and Zone Namespaces (ZNS) capability.The company has not announced when the first consumer drives based on the PS5026-E26 controller will go on sale.
However, the manufacturer said last year that the first SSDs supporting PCIe 5.0 x4 interface should hit the market in the second half of 2022.