Sandisk presented a technological sensation at the Flash Memory Summit (FMS) 2025: The UltraQLC platform with an NVMe enterprise SSD that offers a whopping 256 terabytes of storage capacity. The storage pioneer is thus setting a new benchmark for hyperscale applications, especially in the age of artificial intelligence. The combination of enormous capacity, high performance and optimized energy efficiency makes the solution particularly attractive for data-intensive workloads in cloud and AI environments. Visitors to the trade fair were able to experience the new platform live for the first time today.
- 256TB capacity for data-intensive AI and cloud workloads
- Direct Write QLC for secure, fast direct writes without SLC buffers
- BiCS8 2Tb QLC NAND for double storage density in a compact design
- Optimized energy efficiency thanks to dynamic clock frequency adjustment
Revolution in the hyperscale memory segment
The UltraQLC platform is more than just a capacity expansion – it marks a technological leap in NAND architecture. At its heart is the combination of BiCS8 QLC CBA NAND, tailor-made controllers and intelligent system optimizations. This combination makes it possible to process even the largest data volumes quickly and keep them permanently available.
One highlight is the Direct Write QLC technology: it dispenses with the usual SLC buffer and can write data directly to the QLC area – safely even in the event of power failures. This not only increases speed, but also reliability, which is crucial for critical business applications. At the same time, the scalable multi-core architecture ensures consistently high throughput and longevity, even at extreme capacities.
For operators of hyperscale clouds, this not only means more storage space per rack unit, but also an improvement in the total cost of ownership (TCO). Optimized energy consumption makes operation and cooling more efficient, which translates directly into cost benefits.
AI-optimized and future-proof
In the age of AI, the requirements for storage solutions are increasing rapidly. AI-supported applications such as data lakes, machine learning pipelines or real-time analyses not only require high capacities, but also low latencies and high bandwidths. The UltraQLC™ platform is specifically designed for this: It delivers fast data ingestion, accelerated data preparation and enables AI models to access huge data sets almost instantaneously.
Another innovation is the new DR profile, which reduces data retention cycles by up to 33% (projection). This increases data security, reduces power consumption and ensures that data remains available at all times – a decisive advantage for AI training and inference in real time.
Sandisk is also setting new standards in terms of storage density: BiCS8 2Tb QLC NAND technology doubles the storage density while maintaining the same chip size. This allows not only the 256TB variant, but also future capacity leaps within the same form factor.
Market launch and outlook
The 256TB UltraQLC NVMe SSD will initially be available in the U.2 form factor at the beginning of 2026, together with the smaller 128TB variant SN670. Other form factors and model variants are set to follow in the course of the year. Sandisk is thus clearly positioning itself as a pioneer in the field of high-capacity flash storage for hyperscale and AI applications.
Conclusion
With the UltraQLC platform and the 256TB NVMe SSD, Sandisk impressively demonstrates that storage density, performance and energy efficiency are not mutually exclusive. For operators of AI and cloud infrastructures in particular, this could be a decisive step towards coping with increasing data volumes. Anyone looking to maximize capacity in early 2026 is unlikely to be able to ignore Sandisk’s new solution.
