Samsung has announced the launch of a new, faster microSD card that will enable artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities on devices, allowing users to utilize more data-intensive AI applications. In a recent press release, Samsung revealed that they have begun sampling their 256GB SD Express microSD card and plan to start mass production of a 1TB microSD card. The 256GB SD Express version is expected to be available later this year, while the 1TB UHS-1 microSD is planned for release in the third quarter of 2024. According to Samsung, the 256GB SD Express microSD card boasts a data read speed of up to 800MB/s, which is 1.4 times faster than SATA SSDs (maximum 560 MB/s) and over four times faster than traditional UHS-1 memory cards. However, the high speed of the SD Express card may result in temperatures reaching up to 96 degrees Celsius. To address this, Samsung has introduced dynamic thermal protection technology to help maintain the optimal temperature of the card. In the past year, the demand for built-in AI capabilities in devices has significantly increased, allowing users to perform generative AI tasks without relying on cloud API calls. The introduction of microSD cards enables companies to expand the memory of smartphones, enabling the execution of more data-intensive AI tasks on mobile devices. In contrast, AI services such as chatbots or text-to-image generation in less portable environments, such as large data centers or cloud services, rely on massive storage capacities. Companies like Samsung are actively promoting "AI smartphones," although the specific implications of built-in AI on devices remain somewhat ambiguous. On smartphones, this may manifest as voice recognition and real-time call translation using data-intensive large language models, or photo editing software that relies on algorithms and requires minimal power. With the introduction of the new microSD card, these functionalities will become even smoother and more efficient.