Type an address to search for nearby blocks
Whitepaper
Explore More
Sign Up / Log In
Semiconductor History | Intel Headquarters, 8 September 2008 — The X25-M Makes Flash Storage Feel Ready
· 2008-9
Personal memoryBy kevin · · Report an issue
Search by address
Search
Loading...
Highlighted Moments
Featured Memories
Find memories left by people near you.
Distribute Bounty
Total to distribute
0 MR
Qualifying memories
0
This will distribute the bounty equally among all qualifying memories. This action cannot be undone.
Cancel Bounty
Refund amount
0 MR
Are you sure you want to cancel this bounty? The remaining amount will be refunded to your account.
Success!
Operation completed successfully.
Error
Something went wrong.
Back to map
Back
This memory is part of
Semiconductor History | Intel Headquarters, 8 September 2008 — The X25-M Makes Flash Storage Feel Ready
kevin
9/8/2008
Listen
Directions
On 8 September 2008, Intel introduced the 80-gigabyte X25-M solid-state drive for notebooks and desktops. The Santa Clara headquarters pin marks the corporate launch of a storage product whose importance lay less in raw capacity than in making flash behave like a trustworthy system drive.
The 2.5-inch X25-M used multilevel-cell NAND flash, a ten-channel internal architecture, and Intel-developed controller firmware. Intel specified sequential reads up to 250 megabytes per second, writes up to 70 megabytes per second, and read latency of 85 microseconds.
The good was responsiveness and consistency. Independent launch-day testing found that the X25-M combined fast reads with unusually strong random-access behavior, avoiding the pauses that had damaged confidence in several cheaper early MLC drives.
With no spinning platters or moving heads, it also resisted shock, used less power in many workloads, and made a notebook feel faster in ways that peak transfer rates alone did not capture. Intel’s reputation in controllers and validation helped move the SSD from an exotic upgrade toward a credible replacement for a hard disk.
The bad was the price-capacity bargain. Intel listed the 80-gigabyte drive at $595 in quantities up to one thousand, while magnetic disks offered many times the space for far less money; the product was persuasive technology before it was mass-market storage.
Flash also required careful wear leveling, error management, firmware, and spare capacity to hide the medium’s limitations. Intel’s controller engineering solved visible problems rather than eliminating the underlying endurance and write-management tradeoffs.
The business eventually left Intel. The company agreed in 2020 to sell its NAND memory and storage operations to SK hynix for $9 billion, transferred the SSD business into Solidigm at the first closing in 2021, and reported completion of the remaining transaction in March 2025.
The cover is a 2011 Intel Free Press product photograph, not an image captured on launch day. It shows the plain metal object that helped redefine computer speed: the X25-M was expensive and small, but it demonstrated that a well-designed flash controller could make latency—not just capacity—the center of storage performance.
Photo: Intel Free Press, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Related Memories
Memory Marks
You marked this memory as
InspiringHeartwarmingEnjoyableSolemn!
You have 0 Memory Marks left to give today
Nice work! You have given out all your memory marks today!
Come back tomorrow or own more Blox to get more daily Memory Marks!
Thank you for alerting us of this Memory. We will review within the next 24 hours.
Save to Collection
Semiconductor History | Intel Headquarters, 8 September 2008 — The X25-M Makes Flash Storage Feel Ready
New Collection
No collections yet
Create one above to get started
0
Do you want to remove this memory from the collection?
Do you want to save
changes?
changes?
The changes you made have been saved
Root to Blockchain
Do you want to root this memory to IPFS with 1 Metablox Coin?
You currently have Metablox Coins
Root to Blockchain
You need 1 Metablox Coin to root this memory to IPFS.
You don't have enough Metablox Coins
Uploading to Blockchain…
Preparing your memory for IPFS. Please don't close this window.
Upload Failed
Something went wrong while connecting to IPFS. Your Metablox Coin was not deducted. Please try again later.
Push New Version
Create a new version of this memory, preserving its current state on IPFS.
Cost: 1 Metablox Coin
You currently have Metablox Coins
New Version is on its way to the Blockchain!
Your updated memory will be available on IPFS within 10 minutes.
Your Memory is on its way to the Blockchain!
You'll be able to access it on IPFS within 10 minutes.
Uploading your memories
Are you sure you want to
delete this memory?
delete this memory?
Are you sure you want to delete this memory?
Keep
Delete
Take Photo
Add your photos
Add more photos
Preview your memory
Uploading your memory
You have successfully preserved a memory!
We detected that you have a Blox in your crypto wallet! We will import the Blox into your account.
Click on done below to complete the import.
Welcome Back!
Sign in to preserve cherished moments
Don't have an account?
Welcome!!
Sign up and start preserving cherished moments
Password Recovery
Enter the email associated with your account
Check your inbox
Use the link in the email to reset your password
Would you like to level up
?
?
Cost
MetaRent
Would you like to level up
?
?
Cost
MetaRent
reached Level !!
MetaRent / day
Max Storage
Coins Earned
+
reached Level !!
MetaRent / day
Max Storage
Coins Earned
+
Add your
photos
Tell us about this
Moment
Description (Optional)
/140 characters
Where is this moment?
location
Try searching for: Golden Gate Bridge, Miami Beach, or an address.
Uploading your moment
You have successfully preserved a memory!
Your moment is now
on .
You have successfully preserved a memory!
Your moment is now
on .
Uploading
exoangel
Hidden in 85hrs
Global Blox
Aug 31, 2026
Sprouts sandwich
exoangel
Hidden in 60hrs
Global Blox
Aug 30, 2026
Sunday beach time
exoangel
Hidden in 61hrs
Global Blox
Aug 29, 2026
Weeekend scene
exoangel
Hidden in 38hrs
Global Blox
Aug 28, 2026
Feeding the birds
exoangel
Hidden in 15hrs
Global Blox
Aug 28, 2026
Shrimp fried rice
You marked this moment as
InspiringHeartwarmingEnjoyableSolemn!
You have 0 Memory Marks left to give today
Nice work! You have given out all your memory marks today!
Come back tomorrow or own more Blox to get more daily Memory Marks!
Choose your payment method
Buy with Metablox Credit
Do you want to mint Blox with Metablox Credit?
Which Crypto would you like to use?
Payment confirmed!
Your Blox is being minted on-chain. This usually takes under a minute.
Check your Metamask extension
Step 1: Click "Confirm" to give Metamask permission to access your crypto
Important: When the extension shows up, scroll down and hit "Confirm" to mint.
Important: You must change the suggested gas fee to High in order to process the transaction.
DO NOT refresh or close the page before seeing this.
We're processing your order...
This sometimes takes a few mins.
Please bear with us 💪
DO NOT refresh or close the page
Contact the Devs
We're very sorry this happened
Your transaction record has been submitted to our team. We'll solve this situation ASAP
Purchase Confirmed!
Your Blox is being minted on-chain and will appear in your profile shortly.
Log in or sign up to claim your Blox.
How many credits do you want to buy?
$100 USD = 1 Metablox Credit = 1 Blox.
Use Metablox Credit to mint any Blox you want on the map.
expand_more