SDUC Cards in Multi-Terabyte Capacities Are Shipping, But Where Are the 4TB and 8TB Models?

United States - Ekhbary News Agency

SDUC Cards in Multi-Terabyte Capacities Are Shipping, But Where Are the 4TB and 8TB Models?

The SD Association (SDA) has recently affirmed that multi-terabyte Secure Digital Ultra Capacity (SDUC) cards have officially begun shipping. These groundbreaking storage devices, with capacities starting at 2TB and theoretically extending up to a massive 128TB, represent a significant leap in portable storage technology. The industry standards body attributes this surge in capacity demand to the escalating needs of burgeoning technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), high-resolution video production (including 8K content), drone operations, and edge computing. All these applications necessitate immense storage capabilities to capture, process, and manage vast quantities of data.

However, this official announcement contrasts sharply with the current reality experienced by consumers in the retail market. Nearly two years ago, at NAB 2024, SanDisk unveiled a prototype 4TB SDUC card, marketing it as the first of its kind and hinting at a subsequent year release. This showcased a future where enormous 8K video files and extensive photo libraries could reside on a single removable card, a prospect highly appealing to both professionals and tech enthusiasts. Despite this preview, finding cards of such colossal capacity remains a significant challenge in everyday retail environments. Even 2TB SD cards, while more common than their 4TB counterparts, are still relatively scarce on store shelves.

While the SD Association maintains that multi-terabyte SDUC cards are indeed shipping, the organization has not explicitly detailed their distribution channels or points of sale. Industry analysts suggest that these high-capacity cards are likely being deployed in industrial, embedded systems, or specialized professional applications that have an immediate and critical need for such vast storage. This strategic deployment means that while the technology is technically available, it may not be readily accessible to the average consumer through typical purchasing avenues.

The core message from the SDA is that advancements in capacity are being matched by improvements in performance. The introduction of the SD Express standard, which integrates PCIe and NVMe interfaces, promises significantly faster data transfer rates. Speeds can reach approximately 1 GB/s with PCIe 3 x1 and potentially up to 4 GB/s using PCIe Gen4 x2. These performance metrics bring SD card capabilities much closer to those of Solid State Drives (SSDs), making them suitable for demanding tasks like running applications directly from removable storage or managing large AI datasets efficiently.

The push for higher capacities and speeds extends beyond professional content creation and AI. The gaming sector is also a key beneficiary. For instance, the Nintendo Switch 2 is slated to utilize microSD Express cards for its storage needs. This technology allows games to be loaded and executed directly from the removable media, mitigating the performance bottlenecks associated with older storage standards. Furthermore, the SDA highlights the needs of creators working with 4K to 16K video formats, as well as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and edge AI devices that generate enormous data volumes. For these users, multi-terabyte cards are not a luxury but a practical necessity.

Despite these technological advancements and the clear demand from various sectors, the persistent gap between the announcement of new standards and their actual availability to consumers remains a notable issue. The concept of owning a 4TB or 8TB SD card still feels more like a glimpse into a future roadmap than an imminent reality for routine purchases, even with the SD Association's assurances of availability. The critical question remains: when will these high-capacity storage solutions become easily accessible and affordable for the general consumer market?

Ekhbary News Agency