CNME Editor Mark Forker spoke to Fissal Oubida, General Manager – Middle East, Africa and India, at Lexar, to learn more about the impact the introduction of ARMOR, the world’s first stainless steel SD Memory Cards is going to have on the marketplace, and how the company has rolled out several innovation to support the growing demand for AI workloads.
AI is driving a new era of growth and innovation. How is Lexar positioning itself to meet the evolving demands of AI-powered systems?
AI being a highly data-intensive field, flash memory plays a critical role in modern AI infrastructure due to its high performance, low latency, reliability, and energy efficiency.
Besides offering faster write/erase speeds and enabling higher storage density in a smaller footprint, flash solutions can easily scale to accommodate evolving data needs without significant disruption.
The centrality of flash in powering AI workflows is driving strong enterprise demand for Lexar’s all-flash arrays and solid-state drives (SSDs).
This trend is especially visible in High-Performance Computing, where the need for flash memory solutions that allow for faster processing and more efficient use of powerful GPUs and CPUs is causing demand to spike for our lineup of compact, high-performance products.
Today, Lexar’s flash drives, SSDs, memory modules, and embedded storage products are at the heart of the AI revolution underway in a variety of sectors, from transportation and healthcare to automotive and energy.
With AI requiring higher performance, lower power consumption, and efficient memory solutions, what breakthroughs has Lexar introduced to address these needs?
Lexar has rolled out several innovations designed to support growing AI workloads and enable enterprises to scale their AI models within an HPC environment.
Notable breakthroughs we have introduced in recent years to help accelerate AI outcomes include our cutting-edge lineup of solid-state drives, which utilize the high-speed PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe interface for significantly faster read and write speeds.
A good example is the the Lexar Professional NM990 PCIe Gen5.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD and the Lexar Professional NM1090 PRO PCIe Gen5.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD, these two next-gen solid-state drives are engineered for high-end gamers, professional creators, and AI developers seeking top-tier performance.
Both can provide exceptional performance at blazing speeds of up to 14,000MB/s read and 11,000MB/s write—nearly twice as fast as typical Gen 4 SSDs—making it ideal for intensive gaming, rendering, and AI workloads.
With capacities ranging from 1TB to 4TB, a high endurance rating of up to 3000 TBW (4TB), and support for Microsoft DirectStorage, the NM990 ensures faster load times, greater reliability, and enhanced user experience.
It also includes the Lexar DiskMaster SSD Management tool for easy drive monitoring and updates, making it a future-ready solution for performance-driven users. Lexar’s NM990 and Professional NM1090 PRO PCIe Gen 5.0 NVMe SSDs are powerful tools for AI users who need speed, reliability, and efficiency in their workflows.
With blazing-fast read/write speeds, these drives significantly cut down data loading and model training times—perfect for handling large datasets or running complex AI models.
Both SSDs are built with advanced thermal management and high endurance, ensuring consistent performance during long training sessions or real-time inference.
Whether you’re developing AI at scale or deploying models at the edge, these SSDs help keep your work fast, smooth, and future-ready.
For memory storage solutions, we use proprietary, independently developed firmware, and have obtained a number of core technology patents. Our mobile storage products are widely used in security monitoring, industrial control, automotive electronics, medical and other fields.
Likewise, our embedded storage products, with multiple core patents and in-house firmware, are specifically designed to meet high-level demands of industrial-grade AI application scenarios, combining high-speed performance with low power consumption to deliver rapid and reliable results.
Can you share how Lexar’s products are specifically designed to support next-generation AI applications and workloads?
Lexar’s memory and storage solutions are designed and tested extensively to handle the rigors of AI-driven workloads – including large-scale data processing, model training, and inference tasks – and come equipped with enhanced durability features such as Error Correction Code (ECC) and thermal management to prevent overheating.
Our SSD line-up delivers significantly increased performance and are deployed in client-level, industrial-level and enterprise-level devices including computers, servers, and data centres.
For deep learning models that require high volumes of data, our advanced NAND technology enables efficient storage and retrieval of large datasets, while minimizing power consumption.
We’re also increasingly catering to the edge AI market with customizable memory solutions, optimizing our memory cards and storage solutions to ensure quick, low-energy data processing. Our embedded storage products are deployed across a variety of industries in smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, IoT devices and smart wearables, AR/VR devices, and more.
Lexar is showcasing the world’s lightest, toughest, and fastest suite of memory solutions. What makes these products stand out in such a competitive industry?
Lexar is bringing a whole lineup of pioneering innovations to Gitex Global 2025, including the world’s first stainless-steel SD memory cards – the ARMOR GOLD and the ARMOR SILVER PRO Cards – which are 37 times stronger than standard SD cards.
Another gamechanger is the Lexar CFexpress 4.0 Series, featuring Type-B DIAMOND, GOLD, SILVER cards and Type-A GOLD cards, delivering unrivalled speed and capacity for 8K video and high-resolution photography.
For external storage, we’re showcasing the ARMOR 700 Portable SSD, a high-performance solution built for rugged environments, offering accelerated data transfers and cross-platform compatibility.
Mobile creators will appreciate the super-slim SL500 Portable SSD, which combines high-speed performance with a unique magnetic mounting system; this device features an innovative design that ensures low temperatures even during high-speed operations, guaranteeing uncompromised performance.
Making a star turn at the Lexar stand at Gitex Global is the world lightest portable SSD Professional Go Portable SSD with Hub: winner of the prestigious IDEA Award from the Industrial Designers Society of America, this revolutionary device heralds a new era of portable storage, weighing only 13 grams combining blazing speeds with an incredible capacity of up to 2TB.
We’re also showcasing a series of products specifically designed for gamers: the ARES RGB 2nd Gen DDR5 Desktop Memory, offering high speeds of up to 8000MT/s and 6000MT/s with a timing of CL26; the PLAY PRO microSD Express Card equipped with PCIe technology for handheld gaming; plus two next-generation internal SSDs: the Lexar Professional NM990 PCIe Gen5.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD and the Lexar Professional NM1090 PRO PCIe Gen5.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD, engineered for high-end gamers – both can provide exceptional performance of up to 14GB/s read speed and are perfect for gaming and professional rendering.
Lexar’s success has been fueled by its unique go-to-market strategy, the ‘Lexar Way.’ Could you explain what this means and how it sets you apart from competitors?
‘The Lexar Way’ refers to our innovative delivery method where the company actively works to foster a collaborative ecosystem, empowering partners throughout the region with the necessary resources, tools and support to accelerate product and channel market disruption.
Our strategy revolves around education and consumer engagement, ensuring that our partners are well-equipped to meet the evolving demands of clients and market trends.
Recently we achieved a significant milestone in our expansion strategy, registering a fivefold growth in the number of retail outlets carrying Lexar-branded products across the Middle East, Africa, and India region.
This success owes as much to our unwavering focus on technological innovation as to our dedicated efforts to foster a strong brand-distributor relationship through proactive communication, relevant training sessions, and incentivized campaigns.
If you had to summarize Lexar’s commitment to customers and partners in one message, what would it be?
Lexar’s overarching goal throughout its 30-year history of developing industry-leading memory and storage solutions has remained the same – to create cutting-edge innovations that transform the daily lives of people.
Beyond simply developing and implementing new technologies, our endeavour is to create tangible value for customers by bringing functional innovations that positively affect the way they live, work, and create – forging deep connections and trusted relationships along the way.
These values extend to our approach to partners.
Through authentic transparency and open communication, we strive to foster a culture of trust and collaboration and, looking ahead, we are committed to continue growing together with our partners as we seek to consolidate our dominance in the region.
