The SD Association announced a new memory card specification today at CES 2009. The new specification, called SDXC (for eXtended Capacity), promises capacities up to 2 terabytes as well as read/write speeds of 104Mbps initially but ramping up to 300Mbps later.
It will retain the SD interface although I suspect that devices will need to be able to support the new specification to take advantage of these cards. In other words, don’t expect it to work with your current devices.
Full specifications will be released in the first quarter of 2009. But we already know that it will use Microsoft’s exFAT file system to support its large capacity and interoperability in a broad range of PCs, consumer electronics and mobile phones.
A 2TB SDXC memory card will be able to store 100 HD movies, 60 hours of HD recording, 17,000 fine-grade photos, or more than 4,000 RAW images.
With the standard not released yet, I expect it will take some time for the new cards and devices that can support them to hit the street.