Lexar SD Express Memory Cards

Lexar, a Shenzhen Longsys Electronics Co., Ltd. company, announced the development of SD Express memory cards.

They will leverage the PCIe 4.0 spec delivering a maximum data transfer rate of nearly 4GB/s. Able to transfer data up 3x faster than the fastest UHS-II SD card available, SD Express has a theoretical max read speed of up to 985MB/s. These cards also use the NVMe protocol and are backwards compatible.

Thee SD Express memory cards are made to meet the demands of users for moving large amounts of data including 8K video capture and playback, RAW continuous burst mode, 360° cameras and videos, and more data intense applications and workloads.

The company will feature 2 technologies, SD Express microSD Express memory cards. SD Express will become available in capacity options up to 512GB, and microSD Express with capacity options to 256GB.

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These memory cards will feature speeds of up to 824MB/s read, and 410MB/s ⁽¹⁾ write, respectfully. The firm is currently working with manufacturers of relevant host devices as part of its early development and plans to launch in 2022.

“We are excited to announce the SD Express memory cards, which use the PCle 3.0 interface, marking the innovation in memory card technology. In the future, we will be able to use Lexar SD Express memory cards in many data-intense applications including videography, photography, 360 degree applications and automobile storage. This will bring users to a higher-performance experience,” says Jordan Zhong, VP.

The SD Express memory cards will be built with the Silicon Motion’s SM 2708 controller.

“Many of the latest high-end cameras and mobile phones are capable of recording video in 8K and require a fast transfer rate. With the SM2708 controller now supporting the SD 8.0 spec which offers more than triple the throughput, applications such as 8K video capture, RAW photo capture, multi-channel IOT devices, multi-processing automotive storage and other applications requiring ultra-high data speeds are now possible,” says Nelson Duann, SVP, marketing and R&D, Silicon Motion, Inc.

⁽¹⁾ Speeds based on internal testing in the firm’s ‘Quality Labs’. Actual performance may vary due to changes in equipment or environment.