Plucky rival to Kioxia and Samsung unveils thinnest large capacity SSD ever: Exascend 30.72TB SSD is 7mm thick and has a one DWPD endurance

• Exascend 30.72TB PE4 SSD claims to avoid thermal throttling even at 70°C
• Uses predictive thermal algorithms to keep performance stable in hot, compact deployments
• Consumes just 7 watts when active and below 1.5 watts when idle

In a market dominated by Kioxia and Samsung, Exascend has introduced what it calls the industry’s first 30.72TB SSD in a 7mm U.2 form factor.

The company appears to be targeting thermal-challenged deployments, such as edge servers and compact AI systems, where airflow is constrained and power budgets are tight.

Exasecnd says its new PE4 series maintains consistent throughput in ambient temperatures up to 70°C without suffering performance-hindering thermal throttling, an issue that typically plagues high-density storage solutions.

Specs positioned for the enterprise edge

This heat control is achieved through its proprietary Adaptive Thermal Control technology, which is supported by a mix of predictive algorithms, optimized controller layouts, and a casing designed for improved heat dissipation.

While the underlying approach seems to borrow from known principles of passive heat management, how well it performs in real-world data center deployments remains to be seen.

The PE4 drives use 3D TLC NAND and a PCIe Gen4 x4 interface, delivering up to 1 DWPD endurance and a 2-million-hour MTBF.

This rating is typical for enterprise drives of this class, but the long-term viability of such high-capacity SSDs in continuous-write environments will need verification.

On the security front, the drive offers AES-256 hardware encryption and TCG OPAL 2.0 compliance.

It also supports end-to-end data protection via LDPC and RAID-level parity.

The SSD uses hardware-based power-loss protection and support for field-upgradeable firmware, which makes it useful for edge deployments where physical access is limited.

“The PE4 30.72TB isn’t just an incremental step forward. It’s a paradigm shift for edge and on-premises storage,” said Frank Chen, CEO at Exascend.

“By delivering 30.72TB of storage in a 7mm slim form factor while cutting power consumption by 50%, we enable customers to scale storage density without overhauling existing thermal design or server layout.”

The PE4 power consumption is 7 watts when active and less than 1.5 watts when idle.

This is claimed to be 70 percent lower than what most other drives use.

It is not clear if this level of efficiency stays the same under mixed workloads, but if it does, it could help reduce cooling needs and make systems more energy efficient.

In addition to the 30.72TB model, Exascend also launched a 23.04TB version that retains the same 7mm form factor, thermal control features, and power efficiency, making it a more affordable option for deployments that don’t require maximum density.

“For customers that need a sweet spot between 15.36TB and 30.72TB, our new 23.04TB model delivers extra storage headroom at a more budget-friendly price point,” Chen added.

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