Intel And Micron Announce Partnership For Second Gen 3D XPoint Memory To Further Advance Optane Storage

The 3D XPoint technology that forms the basis of Optane was co-developed by Intel and Micron, and the pair have announced that a second-generation of the non-volatile, low-latency memory is currently in development. Both companies have estimated that development on second-gen 3D XPoint will be completed during the first half of 2019.

It should be noted, however, that while Intel and Micron have had a long alliance in the memory arena, second-gen 3D XPoint will be the last jointly-developed product from the two companies. Once current 3D XPoint development is finished, they will each go their own separate ways developing memory and storage products for the third-generation.

Micron in particular seems pretty amped not only about the news surrounding second-gen 3D XPoint, but also about what independence from Intel will mean going forward. “We are excited about the products that we are developing based on this advanced technology, which will allow our customers to take advantage of unique memory and storage capabilities," said Scott DeBoer, Executive VP of Technology Development for Micron. "By developing 3D XPoint technology independently, Micron can better optimize the technology for our product roadmap while maximizing the benefits for our customers and shareholders.”

For its part, Intel Non-Volatile Memory Solution Group SVP Rob Crooke added, "We intend to build on this momentum and extend our leadership with Optane, which combined with our high-density 3D NAND technology offers the best solutions for today’s computing and storage needs.”

For an extensive overview of Optane Memory, we encourage you to take a look at our most recent article showing how the tech enhances traditional HDDs. As for 3D XPoint used in SSDs, be sure to check out our review of the Optane SSD 905P for enthusiasts, which is available in capacities up to 960GB.