Phison has announced its first PCIe 5.0 SSD controller, the PS5026-E26, with a launch expected sometime in 2022. According to a press release from the chipmaker, the next-gen controller is aimed at server and high-end client SSD offerings. It is fabbed on a 12nm process node and retains Phison’s exclusive CoXProcessor 2.0 architecture.
The PS5026-E26 controller supports PCIe Dual Port, SR-IOV, and ZNS. As such, it’s highly suited for data centers, cloud servers, edge computing systems, and high-end gaming rigs, etc. Like previous Phison controllers, it offers consumers ultra-high performance paired with low power consumption and flexible customization.
For now, the PS5026-E26 controller has been finalized and taped out. The mass production is slated to being in the second half of 2022. This means we won’t be seeing many PCIe Gen 5 SSDs before late 2022/early 2023. The M.2, U.3, E1.S, and E3.S are the targeted formats. Phison hasn’t officially announced the peak speeds of the controller but considering that PCIe Gen 5 is capable of 14GB/s, we can expect similar figures.
