Micron has officially launched the brand-new 3610 PCIe 5.0 QLC SSD, a next-generation client storage solution engineered primarily for OEM custom system markets. Blending ultra-high storage density, blazing-fast data transfer speeds and low-power consumption, this innovative solid-state drive delivers disruptive advantages for compact portable devices. Packing a maximum 4TB storage capacity into a tiny single-sided M.2 2230 form factor, the drive delivers peak performance up to 11,000MB/s, perfectly catering to high-performance upgrade demands for thin-and-light laptops, handheld gaming devices and other miniature terminals.

Equipped with Micron’s latest G9 QLC 4-layer cell NAND flash, the new 3610 SSD leverages an upgraded high-density flash architecture to deliver competitive PCIe 5.0-level performance within a minimal physical footprint. As officially confirmed by Micron, this is the world’s first single-sided M.2 2230 SSD to support 4TB large-capacity storage. It provides robust core hardware support for manufacturers developing ultra-thin, high-performance devices and effectively solves the long-standing industry pain point of limited installation space and insufficient storage capacity on portable hardware.

Beyond exceptional space efficiency, the Micron 3610 SSD features a significant energy efficiency upgrade with a 43% improvement in performance per watt compared to previous-generation products. This advanced power-saving design cuts down overall operating power consumption, extends the battery life of lightweight laptops, handheld consoles and fanless devices, and strikes an optimal balance between powerful performance and low energy consumption for long-duration continuous operation scenarios.

Mark Montierth, Senior Vice President of Micron’s Mobile and Client Business Unit, commented on the new product launch. The Micron 3610 SSD integrates cutting-edge PCIe Gen5 interface technology, state-of-the-art in-house G9 QLC NAND manufacturing process and a streamlined single-sided PCB layout, achieving comprehensive breakthroughs in operational performance, storage capacity and energy efficiency. This new storage solution empowers ultra-thin portable devices to effortlessly handle edge AI computing, immersive high-definition streaming playback, heavy-duty office workloads and other resource-intensive tasks, driving overall device capability upgrades.

Micron’s premium 4600 series serves as the brand’s flagship PCIe 5.0 NVMe client SSD lineup, adopting G9 TLC NAND flash and a standard M.2 2280 form factor. It delivers outstanding random read and write performance of 2.1 million IOPS, alongside maximum sequential read speeds of 14,500MB/s and sequential write speeds of 12,000MB/s. Positioned for extreme high-end performance, the 4600 series is only available in 512GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacity configurations.

While the newly released Micron 3610 SSD features slightly lower peak performance than the flagship 4600 series, its performance output is fully competent for mainstream AI application scenarios. The drive is capable of loading 20-billion-parameter AI models within just three seconds, making it an ideal choice for rapidly growing edge AI office and intelligent computing applications.

The adoption of QLC flash technology is the core advantage of the Micron 3610 SSD, which greatly enhances wafer utilization efficiency. More flash chips can be integrated into a single wafer, substantially reducing production costs. This breakthrough eliminates the high premium of traditional PCIe 5.0 high-speed SSDs, promotes the popularization of Gen5 storage technology, and lowers the hardware adoption threshold for terminal equipment manufacturers.

High-density flash designs are commonly associated with increased heat generation, a common challenge for high-capacity storage devices. To address this issue, Micron equips the 3610 SSD with host-controlled intelligent thermal management technology. The system precisely regulates operating temperatures, enabling sustained high-load read and write operation without thermal throttling or system downtime, ensuring long-term operational stability and reliability.

This versatile new SSD is not only tailored for business office and content creation productivity scenarios but also brings remarkable upgrades for handheld gaming enthusiasts. Most mainstream M.2 2230 SSDs on the market suffer from limited storage space, while the Micron 3610 SSD doubles the industry standard capacity of this compact form factor. Its 4TB ample storage can accommodate multiple AAA blockbuster games, completely resolving the storage shortage issue that plagues portable gaming devices.

At present, the Micron 3610 SSD is still in the OEM evaluation and adaptation phase, with official retail pricing and mass shipment schedules yet to be announced. The launch of this cutting-edge storage product effectively alleviates the shortage of high-end storage resources for consumer and portable devices. By maximizing storage capacity within the same wafer size and compact hardware dimensions, it raises the storage ceiling of modern portable terminals and establishes itself as a mainstream core storage product for the popularization era of PCIe 5.0 technology.

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