Running out of storage space for your camera or gaming device might soon be a thing of the past. SanDisk, owned by Western Digital, has just announced a revolutionary breakthrough in digital storage: the world’s first 8TB SD card, alongside the first-ever 4TB microSD card. These groundbreaking memory cards are designed to significantly enhance creative flexibility, whether you’re capturing high-resolution images or storing extensive gaming libraries.

Traditionally, the competition in memory card technology has centered around increasing storage capacity, and these new cards from Western Digital place the company at the forefront of the industry. This announcement follows closely on the heels of the world’s first 4TB SD card, which was introduced in April, marking another leap forward in portable storage solutions.

The 8TB SanDisk SDUC UHS-I card is a game-changer for photographers. For instance, if you use it with a top-tier mirrorless camera, you could store around 165,000 raw images at 24MP on a single card. This vast storage capacity can be invaluable across various industries and creative fields. Meanwhile, the 4TB SanDisk microSDUC UHS-I card is perfect for gamers, offering enough space to store over 660 games with a 12GB file size on a device like the Nintendo Switch. This sets a new standard far beyond what is currently available on the market.

These innovative memory cards were revealed at the Future of Memory and Storage Conference in California, establishing a new benchmark for digital storage. Both cards utilize the Secure Digital Ultra Capacity (SDUC) standard, which theoretically supports up to 128TB of storage.

Western Digital had already raised the bar earlier this year by introducing a 4TB SD card and a 2TB microSD card at the NAB Show in April. With these latest announcements, they have doubled the storage capacity once again. Although the release date and pricing details are still under wraps, it’s expected that the 8TB SD card will come with a hefty price tag—considering that a 1TB Extreme Pro card currently costs around $140/£135 on Amazon.

In today’s world of 8K video and ultra-high-resolution photography, having ample storage is essential for a smooth workflow. High-capacity memory cards like these allow professionals to shoot for longer periods without needing to switch cards. For professional photographers, the prospect of using a single 8TB SD card for an entire shoot is especially appealing.

Similarly, the 4TB microSD card offers immense convenience for drone operators, smartphone users, and handheld gaming enthusiasts. Devices like the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and the best drones often rely on microSD storage, and with SanDisk’s new card, the need to carry multiple cards may become a thing of the past.