SanDisk bares the world’s first 1TB memory card

Are you always running out of storage space? Worry no more as SanDisk is producing the world’s first batch of 1-terabyte memory cards to support the growing demand for high capacity storage in the photography and videography industry.

SanDisk’s parent company, Western Digital Corp. unveiled Tuesday the prototype of SanDisk 1TB SDXC memory card at the Photokina 2016 show in Cologne, Germany.

According to Dinesh Bahal, vice president for Content Solutions Business Unit of Western Digital, the production of SanDisk 1TB storage cards is meant to support the exponential growth of high-resolution photo and video production.

Western Digital Corp. launched the first SanDisk memory card at the Photokina in 2000. The company also unveiled the 512GB SanDisk memory card at the same event in 2014.

“Sixteen years ago, we introduced the first SanDisk 64MB SD™ card and today we are enabling capacities of 1TB,” Bahal said in a statement.

“Over the years our goal has remained the same; continue to innovate and set the pace for the imaging industry. The SanDisk 1TB SD card prototype represents another significant achievement as growth of high-resolution content and capacity-intensive applications such as virtual reality, video surveillance and 360 video, are progressing at astounding rates.”

SanDisk 1TB memory card release date, price

Bahal did not disclose the SanDisk 1TB SDXC card release date, let alone the price, but Sam Nicholson of the American Society of Cinematographers welcomed the historic announcement.

“Just a few short years ago the idea of a 1TB capacity point in an SD card seemed so futuristic – it’s amazing that we’re now at the point where it’s becoming a reality,” said Nicholson, CEO of Stargate Studios.

“With the growing demand for applications like VR, we can certainly use 1TB when we’re out shooting continuous high-quality video. High-capacity cards allow us to capture more without interruption, streamlining our workflow, and eliminating the worry that we may miss a moment because we have to stop to swap out cards.”

Photographers and cinematographers can only predict the SanDisk 1TB card price based on the US$800 (AU$1,040) price tag of the 512GB version.