Micron has unveiled the 3610 NVMe SSD, described as the world's first Gen5 drive featuring QLC storage. This new product offers sequential read speeds up to 11,000 MB/s and comes in an ultra-thin form factor. The announcement follows Micron's recent decision to discontinue its Crucial brand.
Micron's latest product launch centers on the 3610 NVMe SSD, a Gen5 drive that incorporates quad-level cell (QLC) NAND flash memory. According to the announcement, this SSD achieves consistent sequential read speeds of up to 11,000 MB/s, surpassing the performance of previous Gen4 TLC-based drives despite using the more cost-effective QLC technology.
The drive is highlighted for its ultra-thin form factor, making it suitable for compact devices, and supports massive storage capacities enabled by QLC. This release comes just weeks after Micron phased out its popular Crucial brand, which had been a key player in the consumer SSD market.
TechRadar reports that the 3610 positions Micron to compete in the enterprise and AI-optimized storage segments, where high-speed data access is crucial. The SSD's design emphasizes reliability and efficiency, potentially lowering costs for large-scale deployments without sacrificing speed benchmarks.
Published on January 11, 2026, this development underscores ongoing advancements in flash storage, where Gen5 interfaces are becoming standard for handling intensive workloads like AI processing.
