Silicon Motion Technology, a Taiwan-based company engaged in the design and development of NAND flash device controller solutions, will reportedly provide controller chips for SSDs utilizing 3D XPoint memory technology developed jointly by Intel and Micron Technology.

Silicon Motion has already participated in the Intel-Micron joint-development project for just-unveiled 3D XPoint technology, according to industry sources. The first SSDs built using the technology will come with controller chips developed by Silicon Motion, and are expected to be available in 2016, said the sources.

3D XPoint technology should first be applied to specific-market SSDs, and is unlikely to replace both DRAM and NAND flash as the mainstream type of system memory in the short-term, the sources noted.

Intel and Micron recently announced 3D XPoint technology, a new class of non-volatile memory allowing for quick access to enormous data sets and enabling entirely new applications. The technology is up to 1,000 times faster and has up to 1,000 times greater endurance than NAND, and is 10 times denser than conventional memory, according to the companies.

Silicon Motion recently disclosed the company started providing turnkey SATA 3 SSD controller solutions for supporting Micron's new 16nm TLC NAND flash.

Silicon Motion is also working with Intel to develop PCIe SSD controller solutions with the devices slated for launch in 2016, according to industry sources.