Patriot launches an entry-level SATA SSD range-- the P200 series, drives offering capacities ranging from 256GB to 2TB available in the 2.5-inch/7mm form factor.

The P200 buck the Patriot trend in not featuring controllers from Phison. Instead, the company uses the Silicon Motion SM2258XT controller in the 256GB, 512GB and 1TB drives, while the top-of-the-line 2TB option features a Maxio Technology MAS0902A controller. All drives carry 3D NAND memory, but Patriot does not specify the manufacturer or chip type.

The OWC Envoy Pro EX is an external USB-C SSD the company claims is the fastest around, with NVMe-based storage allowing for transfer speeds reaching up to 980MB/s, all within a pocket-sized package.

Such performance, the company adds, allows the drive to handle 4K video editing, all with silent fanless operation. The drive comes in IP67-rated casing able to withstand dust and up to 30 minutes in 1m of water. It is compatible with both Mac and Windows PCs, and also direct-connects to devices such as USB-C Blackmagic cameras.

Scientists at Lancaster University in the UK propose a means to "solve the digital technology energy crisis"-- Universal Memory, a technology possibly able to replace both DRAM and SSD storage.

According to the researchers, a "tsunami of data" brought about by increased use of computers and other such devices is set to consume 20% of global electricity by 2025. The Universal Memory device promises to consume much less power, as well as allow for PCs able to "instantaneously and imperceptibly" go in an energy-saving sleep mode, even between key strokes.

Combining the properties of DRAM and SSD storage is a fairly difficult task. After all, the data stored on DRAM is volatile, and is continuously "refreshed" to avoid it being lost, while writing and erasing SSD storage is slow, energy intensive and deteriorates the storage medium. To solve the issue the Lancaster University researchers employed quantum mechanics to create an oxide-free, floating-gate memory cell which boasts non-destructive read capabilities and long-term storage at room temperature.

Kingston launches a flagship client/consumer SSD-- the KC2000, an upgrade on the 2017 KC1000 featuring Toshiba/SanDisk 96-layer 3D NAND flash memory aimed at both power users and enterprise customers.

The M.2 form factor SSDs carry a Gen 3.0 x4 controller, and offer read and write speeds of up to 3200 and 2200Mb/s respectively. Security comes as standard with built-in 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption and support for TCG Opal 2.0 security management solutions such as Symantec, McAfee and WinMagic. Windows users also get support for Microsoft eDrive, the security storage specification for use with BitLocker.