The SM2508 adopts TSMC's 6nm EUV manufacturing process, distinguishing it from competitors like the PS5026-E26 and Innogrit IG5666 PCIe 5.0 SSD controllers, which operate on the 12nm process node. This advancement results in a 45% reduction in power consumption compared to the 12nm node and up to a 20% reduction in logic cell area compared to the 7nm node. While the SM2508's specifications appear promising on paper, real-world performance may vary. With a scheduled release by the end of this year, comprehensive reviews and benchmarks will soon be available. The question remains whether Silicon Motion's SSD controller can challenge the dominance of the Phison E26 in the PCIe 5.0 market. Unfortunately, laptop users may need to exercise patience, as PCIe 5.0 SSDs are not anticipated to be integrated into laptops until late 2024, as per Silicon Motion's projections.

Processor Configuration: The SM2508 incorporates an Arm-based processor with four Cortex-R8 cores running at speeds of up to 1.25 GHz, in addition to one Cortex-M0 core. This configuration strikes a balance between performance and power efficiency, differing from Phison E26's dual-CPU design featuring Cortex-R5 cores and CoXProcessor 2.0 accelerators. Importantly, the SM2508 integrates an intelligent PMC (power management controller) to proficiently oversee power management tasks, reducing the workload on the Arm chip. DRAM Support: Boasting an eight-channel design, the SM2508 supports DRAM speeds of up to 3,600 MT/s, surpassing the Phison E26, which tops out at 2,400 MT/s. The controller exhibits compatibility with both TLC and QLC NAND flash chips.

Impressive Performance: Silicon Motion claims that the SM2508 delivers sequential read and write speeds of up to 14.5 GB/s and 14 GB/s, respectively, with random read-and-write performance rated at up to 2.5 million IOPS. This showcases an enhancement over earlier reports that suggested a sequential read speed of only 14 GB/s.

Power Efficiency
A standout feature of the SM2508 is its remarkably low power consumption, with Silicon Motion asserting that it consumes less than 3.5W. In contrast, the Phison E26 consumes approximately 5W, potentially resulting in power savings of up to 30%. This has the potential to eliminate the necessity for active cooling in SSDs utilizing the SM2508. 

Source: toms hardware