First SSD: Samsung switches from ARM to RISC-V
Samsung announces a first SSD with RISC-V cores in its controller. The manufacturer promises higher efficiency.
(Image: Andreas Wodrich / heise medien)
Samsung announced the SSD BM9K1 at the China Flash Market Summit 2026. With capacities of 512 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB, and PCI Express 5.0 connectivity, it is intended for desktop PCs and notebooks. The special feature lies in the self-designed controller: it contains cores with the open instruction set RISC-V.
It is Samsung's first SSD controller with RISC-V instead of ARM cores. The manufacturer is thus following Western Digital (now Sandisk), which was the first major SSD manufacturer to switch to RISC-V in its controllers years ago (switch to RISC-V in its controllers). The financial platform BigGo Finance reports on the BM9K1 announcement (reports BigGo Finance).
Efficiency is to increase
Previously, Samsung relied on standard cores such as the Cortex-R8. With the architectural change, Samsung aims to adapt the controller more closely to its own needs. Together with firmware optimizations, energy efficiency is expected to increase by 23 percent compared to the previous model BM9C1. The company does not reveal details about the structure.
Efficiency is particularly important for SSDs with PCI Express 5.0 to keep electrical power consumption in check and thus maximize battery life in mobile devices. The first generation of SSDs with PCIe 5.0 still required coolers due to high waste heat of up to 12 watts.
The remaining specifications of the BM9K1 place it in the upper mid-range. Samsung promises a read speed of up to 11.4 GB/s. The manufacturer remains silent about the write speed. With QLC storage, which stores four bits per cell (Quadruple Level Cells), write performance outside a cache is likely to be moderate. High-end SSDs achieve almost 15 GB/s under optimal conditions.
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Available from 2027
The BM9K1 is primarily intended for complete PCs and notebooks. As a rule, such SSDs only find their way into retail sporadically. Samsung releases some OEM models with a delay and under its own name to retailers.
However, PC and notebook manufacturers also have to wait a while. Samsung will not sell the BM9K1 until 2027. The manufacturer has not yet commented on the price. Due to the memory crisis, it may not have been fixed yet.
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