- The Samsung PM9E1 delivers PCIe Gen5 performance in an unusually small 22 x 42mm footprint
- Double-sided component placement allows for high capacity despite severe physical space constraints
- Specialized PCB materials help alleviate mechanical stress during prolonged thermal cycling
Samsung’s PM9E1 NVMe Gen5 SSD appeared quietly in 2024, surprising the industry as the company entered mass production without a major announcement.
This model follows the PM9A1 SSD launched in 2021, introducing improvements in speed, capacity and power efficiency.
The drive measures just 22 by 42 millimeters, a significant reduction from previous M.2 2280 models, but it features a full SSD architecture optimized for high-performance workloads.
Technical challenges and thermal management
Engineers used a double-sided layout, mounting NAND, DRAM, and power management components on both sides of the compact PCB to achieve capacities of up to 4TB.
Integrating all essential components into such a compact format required careful thermal management and mechanical reliability considerations.
The development team generated detailed heat maps from simulated samples to optimize power distribution and account for heat-sensitive components.
Special PCB materials with low thermal expansion and side-fill technology have been implemented to minimize deformation and ensure long-term reliability.
The SSD maintains high throughput during extended workloads without throttling, even in demanding AI processing or high data transfer scenarios.
The PM9E1 is designed specifically for performance-focused AI workloads, supporting sequential write speeds up to 12.6 GB/s and sequential read speeds up to 14.5 GB/s.
These capabilities facilitate rapid loading of large-scale AI models and smooth on-device inference.
“The PM9E1 is a storage solution that offers both an ultra-compact form factor and high capacity through advanced double-sided design technology,” said ChangWoo Sun, project manager of Samsung Memory Product Planning Team.
“In particular, it will serve as a high-performance, low-power storage option for a wide range of applications, from mobile devices to ultra-thin laptops and edge servers.”
Additionally, the SSD’s low power consumption complements modern processors used in compact, high-performance systems.
The architecture addresses both efficiency and capacity, providing a high-speed storage option suitable for ultra-thin laptops, AI edge servers, and other space-constrained platforms.
Despite its performance and compact design, the PM9E1 remains a specialized solution: its ultra-compact format and double-sided configuration pushes technical limits, but such a design also complicates mass production.
The SSD demonstrates Samsung’s ability to optimize storage density and efficiency, but its widespread adoption will depend on system integration and market readiness.
That said, the PM9E1 offers clear advantages in high-capacity storage, although its initial impact on consumer platforms may be limited by production and design constraints.
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