Intel’s Optane SSD 900P featuring 3D XPoint memory have an edge over SSDs based on NAND flash when it comes to performance and promise to excel them in endurance. Meanwhile the Optane SSD 900P lineup is criticized for relatively low capacities — only 240 GB and 480 GB models are available now, which is not enough for hosting large virtual machines. Apparently, Intel has disclosed that there are 960 GB and 1.5 TB models up its sleeve.

Intel on Thursday issued a product change notification informing its customers about the Optane SSD 900P regulatory and other label changes. Among other things, the document lists Intel Optane 900P 960 GB and 1.5 TB drives. The SSDs are mentioned in context with their voltage and current, which may indicate that we are dealing with products that already have their specs, at least when it comes to power consumption. Meanwhile, Intel does not list part numbers of the higher-capacity 960 GB and 1.5 TB Optane drives, so it is unclear whether the SKUs are meant for general availability, or for select customers only.

Intel intends to start shipments of Optane SSD 900P products with new labels on 27 December, but it is unknown when we are going to see the 900P with enlarged capacities. Intel officially positions the Optane SSD 900P for workstations and high-end desktops, which is why two out of three available models come in HHHL form-factor. Therefore, a potential launch of the 900P 960 GB/1.5 TB models in U.2 form-factor may indicate expansion of 3D XPoint to servers that store massive amounts of data. In the meantime, Intel has already confirmed plans to expand capacity of its Optane SSD DC P4800X for datacenters to 1.5 TB, so Optane capacity increases are in the table for Intel.

We have reached out to Intel for comments and will update the news story once we get more information.

Related Reading:

• The Intel Optane SSD 900P 280GB Review
• Intel Optane SSD DC P4800X 750GB Hands-On Review
• Intel To Launch 3D XPoint DIMMs in 2H 2018

Source: Intel (via ServeTheHome)