Solid-state technology specialist Fusion-io has announced the development of a new grade of NAND flash memory that combines the enterprise reliability of single-level cell (SLC) technology with the consumer-grade economy of multi-level cell (MLC) flash. Due to its cost, SLC flash is typically used by enterprise SSDs at the moment. It offers superior performance and longevity, though at an exorbitant price compared to MLC.

Known as SMLC, the new technology merges the cost-effectiveness of an MLC-based solution with the endurance and performance of SLC--at a cost of 30 percent less than SLC. The new SMLC product will also come with standard features such as error correction and global wear-leveling, and will be available in capacities of 160GB and 320GB starting in July.

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