TIME “Best Invention of 2025” Redefines Form Factors for Edge AI
BIWIN, a global provider of advanced memory and storage solutions, announces the showcase of its Mini SSD at CES 2026, introducing a new storage form factor at just 15.0 mm × 17.0 mm × 1.4 mm, designed to support the evolving requirements of high-performance and space-constrained computing platforms.
Recognized as one of the TIME “Best Inventions of 2025”, the BIWIN Mini SSD represents a fundamental rethinking of how high-performance storage can be integrated into next-generation devices—where space, power efficiency, and sustained performance are equally critical.
The Mini SSD will be on display at The Venetian Expo, Level 1, Suite Galileo 1004, from January 6th to 9th, where BIWIN will demonstrate how the ultra-mini module enables full PCIe-class performance in form factors previously limited to embedded storage.
Beyond Limits: A New Form Factor for Devices & Compact Systems
As AI workloads increasingly demand more work from edge devices, system architects face increasing pressure to deliver higher storage bandwidth and faster performance within increasingly constrained designs. Edge environments such as local inference, immersive gaming, high-resolution video processing, and mobile content creation place new demands which traditional embedded storage solutions struggle to meet.
Traditional embedded card solutions are limited in throughput, while standard M.2 SSDs remain too large for ultra-thin, lightweight, and handheld designs. This gap has created a structural limitation for device manufacturers seeking to balance portability with performance.
The BIWIN Mini SSD addresses this challenge by introducing a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD in an ultra-mini form factor, effectively bridging the market gap between embedded storage and full-size SSDs.
Mini SSD: Flagship Performance in an Ultra-Mini Form Factor
Measuring just 15.0 × 17.0 × 1.4 mm, the Mini SSD delivers performance and capacities traditionally reserved for much larger drives:
- • PCIe Gen4x2interface, NVMe 1.4 protocol
- • Up to 3700 MB/sRead and 3400 MB/s Write
- • Capacities: 512 GB to 2 TB
Designed for edge AI devices, handheld gaming consoles, AI PCs, tablets, mini PCs, and other space-constrained platforms, the Mini SSD enables manufacturers to build slimmer, lighter, and more capable systems without compromising storage performance.
System-Level Engineering: Where Architecture Meets Reliability
Rather than shrinking a conventional SSD design, BIWIN approached the Mini SSD as a system-level engineering challenge, integrating architecture design, firmware optimization, and advanced packaging into a unified solution.
Key innovations include:
- • Advanced LGA (Land Grid Array) Packaging:Integrating controller and NAND on a single plane for maximum space efficiency and thermal performance
- • Smart Firmware Optimization:Dynamic SLC caching, wear leveling, TRIM, and garbage collection for long-term stability under sustained workloads
- • Rugged Durability:IP68-rated dust and water resistance, drop protection of up to 3 meters, suitable for mobile and outdoor environments
- • Slot-inDesign: Easy expansion and maintenance after power-down, similar to a card-tray mechanism
This system-level approach reflects BIWIN’s “Integrated R&D + Testing + Packaging 2.0” strategy—transforming compact storage modules into complete, production-ready solutions.
Proven in Real Devices: From Concept to Mass Adoption
The Mini SSD is already deployed by several leading device manufacturers in commercially available products such as gaming PCs and handheld gaming consoles, including OneXPlayer Super X, OneXPlayer X1 Air, OneXFly Apex, and GPD WIN 5.
In devices such as the GPD WIN 5 handheld gaming consoles, the Mini SSD delivers read speeds up to 3700 MB/s and 4K random read up to 850K IOPS, enabling high-speed expandable storage while maintaining a lightweight and compact design. The solution supports demanding workloads, including local AI model inference, AAA gaming, graphics-intensive applications, and professional content creation.
CES 2026 Demonstration
For a firsthand exploration of the BIWIN Mini SSD, attendees of CES 2026 can visit the product on display at the company’s exhibition area.
What it Shows:
How a compact PCIe storage solution functions within complete platforms, addressing real-world requirements such as performance consistency, integration efficiency, and system-level reliability.
- • Location: Venetian Expo, Las Vegas, NV
- • Booth: Galileo 1004, Level 1
- • Dates: January 6–9, 2026
About BIWIN
BIWIN Storage Technology CO., Ltd. (SSE STAR Market, Stock Symbol: 688525) produces high-quality NAND flash storage solutions and is known in embedded, consumer, corporate and industrial segments for its independent development capabilities in hardware, software, firmware and storage algorithms.
Our founders started in the flash storage business in 1995, in Shenzhen, China, embracing the “WIN-WIN” business philosophy that would later become the hallmark for BIWIN.
In 2009, BIWIN made a key decision for the business: to add IC encapsulation (or IC packaging) process into the factory. A remarkable milestone that the vast majority of competing companies still don’t have (they outsource the process or buy the packaged IC). This successful step led to the 2010 creation of the company we know today.
