SSD controller chips are the next generation of memory stars

The current competition trend of SSD controller chips is more and more similar to that of memory card controller chips.

Big international companies include Samsung, Micron and Toshiba, while Seagate and Western Digital bought SandForce and Sandee respectively. These companies have leveraged their resources in flash memory and based on that, acquired controller technology that determines SSD functionality and reliability. And those companies consume a lot of controller chips.

In addition, global SSD controller manufacturers have gradually completed the process from survival of the fittest to mergers and acquisitions.

While Taiwan based SMI is still the leader in the SSD controller industry, Qunlian and Toshiba are not far behind. Meanwhile, Marvell, despite its strength in the HDD controller market, is on the decline in the SSD market.

Historically, Taiwanese manufacturer JMicron, whose JM605 models were the market leader, has also announced its exit from the SSD controller market following its recent restructuring.

Currently, JMicron has spun off its SSD controller business and set up a new SSD controller company called Maxio in China. It is understood that Maxio has received an investment from Hikvision.

Waran Micro was one of the early Chinese SSD controller designers, releasing its first SATA-2 controller in 2013. The company still has a significant market share in China and is one of the few Chinese chipmakers able to enter the international market.

Other Chinese chip companies that have performed well include Shannon, Memblaze and Starblaze. Shannon was acquired by SMI because of its outstanding performance in the enterprise market segment, and the other two companies are also in the enterprise market. These companies are positioned at the high end of SSDS and have a high exposure in the industry.

Hesse also has SSD controller chips, but they are mostly used in its internal server and data center products, not sold outside the company, and are rumored to perform well.

Because the design of SSD controller chips involves advanced analog circuit design, complex interface protocols, and different types of flash memory algorithms, it requires a fairly sophisticated technology development team, in contrast to the unrealistic and flashy technology promoted by a small number of Chinese companies for financing purposes.