Computex 2023: Phison is working for cheaper PCI Express 5.0 SSDs

The PS5031-E31T controller can bring the big breakthrough in this matter.

Phison already has an SSD controller that supports PCI Express 5.0, but the currently widely used chip with the designation PS5026-E26 is quite performance-oriented, so it is not exactly intended for relatively cheap SSDs to be built on it. In contrast, the PS5031-E31T sacrifices some of the speed, so it can be really interesting for those who want to go beyond the limits of PCI Express 4.0, but do not want top performance.

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The new chip itself is made on TSMC’s 7 nm production technology and has an ARM Cortex-A5 processor core, along with a four-channel NAND interface. The essence of the design, which supports both TLC and QLC NAND flash chips, is the abandonment of the DRAM cache, which will make the production of M.2 2280 format SSDs relatively cheap. Data transfer performance certainly won’t reach the limits offered by x4 PCI Express 5.0, but Phison predicts maximum sequential read and write speeds of 10.8GB/s, which doesn’t sound bad. In addition, the consumption of the controller itself also reaches a favorable level, so it will be less sensitive to cooling.

According to Phison, samples of the PS5031-E31T are expected to start shipping this year, and products based on it are likely to be seen next year.