SD Association, represented by Kazu Nakano, presented their latest SD Express technology at NAB 2026. SD Express leverages the PCIe interface to deliver up to 800 MB/s, representing a 10x performance improvement over conventional SD cards. The implementation starts with PCIe Gen 3×1 using a second lane, with subsequent generations supporting 3×2 and 4×2 lanes, ultimately enabling up to 4 GB/s throughput. Major memory vendors including Samsung, SanDisk, and Silicon Power have already adopted the standard, with over 20 companies estimated to be working on SD Express products.
—
HDMI® Technology is the foundation for the worldwide ecosystem of HDMI-connected devices; integrated with displays, set-top boxes, laptops, audio video receivers and other product types. Because of this global usage, manufacturers, resellers, integrators and consumers must be assured that their HDMI® products work seamlessly together and deliver the best possible performance by sourcing products from licensed HDMI Adopters or authorized resellers. For HDMI Cables, consumers can look for the official HDMI® Cable Certification Labels on packaging. Innovation continues with the latest HDMI 2.2 Specification that supports higher 96Gbps bandwidth and next-gen HDMI Fixed Rate Link technology to provide optimal audio and video for a wide range of device applications. Higher resolutions and refresh rates are supported, including up to 12K@120 and 16K@60. Additionally, more high-quality options are supported, including uncompressed full chroma formats such as 8K@60/4:4:4 and 4K@240/4:4:4 at 10-bit and 12-bit color.
—
The association introduced new SD Express speed classes V150 and V340, specifically designed for multi-stream video recording applications. These speed classes support up to 8 simultaneous lanes for a total of 600 MB/s, compared to conventional V90 and V60 cards supporting single-lane recording. The targeted application is 8K video capture at 450 MB/s, specifically 8K 4:2:0 10-bit intra at 60 progressive frames per second.
SD Association showcased high-capacity storage demonstrations including a 4TB micro SD card and an 8TB SD card, both concept products from SanDisk. Current market offerings include 2TB micro SD cards. The association recommends using the SD Memory Card Formatter tool, available as a free download from their website, to achieve optimal card performance and data management.
Memory fabrication involves major players Micron, SK Hynix (Kioxia partnership), Samsung, and emerging Chinese manufacturers, with card controllers supplied by Silicon Motion and Fison. Supply constraints remain a challenge in the memory industry, with demand significantly outpacing production capacity. PCIe 4×2 configurations theoretically support up to 4 GB/s, requiring multiple lanes for maximum performance.
SD Association continues to define basic SD technologies and specifications, maintaining the SD technology standard overview and history records. Implementation details vary by card vendor, with each manufacturer responsible for flash memory liability, firmware, and overall product quality.
