According to a report by Hardware.Info, Crucial is developing their next generation 16nm MLC NAND Flash based MX100 SSDs series. Powered by Micron's 16nm MLC (Multi-Level Cell) NAND Flash technology, creating an highly compact storage solution.

Crucial Next Generation 16nm MLC NAND Flash Based MX100 SSDs

The Next Generation Crucial MX100 SSDs will feature the 2.5" form factor and would be the successor of Crucial's M500 and M550 SSDs. Performance figures a re not known but it is mentioned that the MX100 SSDs will feature very competitive price points which is a good sign in the SSD market since costs are going down and SSDs become the choice for storage globally due to the attractive prices. Micron unveiled their 16nm MLC NAND Flash process in 2013 and sampled a 128 GB SSD drive. Since the MX100 SSDs are a direct replacement for the M550, we will be looking at different capacities of 128, 256, 512 GB and possibly more.

Micron's 128Gb MLC NAND Flash memory devices are targeted at applications like consumer SSDs, removable storage (USB drives and Flash cards), tablets, ultrathin devices, mobile handsets and data center cloud storage. The new 128Gb NAND Flash memory provides the greatest number of bits per square millimeter and lowest cost of any MLC device in existence. In fact, the new technology could create nearly 6TB of storage on a single wafer.

"Micron's dedicated team of engineers has worked tirelessly to introduce the world's smallest and most advanced Flash manufacturing technology," said Glen Hawk, vice president of Micron's NAND Solutions Group. "Our customers continually ask for higher capacities in smaller form factors, and this next-generation process node allows Micron to lead the market in meeting those demands."

"Cost reductions will always be fundamental to the NAND industry and so companies who can continue to lead on the flash process technology will be poised for success, particularly in vertically integrated solutions," according to Gartner.*

Crucial MX100 SSDs Series Specifications: