Samsung has announced the launch of the 2.5-inch PM1731a - its first solid-state drive that features Zoned Namespace (ZNS) technology.

By making use of ZNS technology, the SSD will provide its users improved lifespan in cloud environments, data center, and storage server, and maximum available user capacity. ZNS will enable data to be grouped contingent on its access frequency and usage, and deposited in independent spaces within the SSD.

This storage device is notably capable of mitigating the number of write operations, which, in turn, reduces the writer amplification factor (WAF) of the drive. Samsung claims that this feature will increase the endurance up to fourfold as compared to conventional NVMe SSDs.

Sangyeun Cho, senior vice president of the Memory Software Development Team at Samsung had the following to say:

Samsung’s ZNS SSD reflects our commitment to introducing differentiated storage solutions that can substantially enhance the reliability and lifetime of server SSDs. We plan to leverage quad-level cell (QLC) NAND technology in our next-generation ZNS drives to enable higher thresholds for storage performance and capacity in the enterprise systems of tomorrow.

The PM1731a is built on Samsung's sixth-generation V-NAND and will come in 4TB and 2TB models, with dual ports. Although prices and exact launch dates have not been announced yet, Samsung says that it plans to mass-produce ZNS SSDs in the second half of 2021.