Lexar is celebrating its 30th anniversary in business and as well as innovating with new products, the company has announced an exciting collaboration with an international football team.
Lexar has been a trusted name in storage solutions for 30 years. As the company celebrates its 30th anniversary, it has launched new products, as well as agreed a new partnership with a world-leading football team, as Tim Stevenson, Lexar’s sales director – UK, Ireland & Nordics, explains.
News in the Channel: Lexar is celebrating its 30th anniversary – what celebrations are planned?
Tim Stevenson: Lexar is exploring digital content, brand experiences and campaign opportunities in selected key markets. As part of our exciting partnership with the men’s Argentina national football team, co-branded products are also planned, allowing fans to engage with the team through product experiences. Specific initiatives and regional plans will be announced progressively. People will soon see Argentina-themed promotions with Lexar across retail channels in the UK, Europe and globally. Customers will also have the opportunity to receive exclusive Argentina-related benefits and gifts when purchasing our products by interacting with our social media accounts.
Q: Many businesses don’t make it to 30 years – what you do you put Lexar’s success down to?
TS: Since 1996, Lexar has evolved from a pioneer in memory card standards into a global brand shaping the workflows of creators, gamers, professionals and next-generation smart devices. I think Lexar’s success and longevity comes down to value leadership. For 30 years, Lexar has built its reputation on three core values – professionalism, innovation and service – delivering storage solutions that evolve with the needs of photographers, filmmakers, gamers and mobile creators.
Q: New products were launched at CES 2026 – what were they?
TS: The key highlight of Lexar’s CES 2026 announcement is not just individual products, but a clear storage direction for the AI era. We introduced AI Storage Core as a new design approach, alongside early product directions such as AI-Grade SSDs and AI-Grade USB drives, while also showcasing products that support today’s core creator, gaming and mobile workflows.
Together, these solutions reinforce Lexar’s leadership in delivering highly reliable, high-performance storage across diverse workflows, from action content capture to high-speed gaming to everyday mobile creation.
Q: How important is AI in the development of new products?
TS: In the AI era, storage requirements for edge storage are evolving around three key pillars: high performance, high stability and high convenience.
High performance: on-device AI large model computations demand higher data transfer speeds. Taking dashcams as an example, traditional storage only needed to save data. In the AI era, storage must analyse objects in real time, enabling decision-making while recording.
High stability: as AI-powered terminals become more diverse, such as autonomous driving systems and humanoid robots, there is a greater need for product stability. This includes support for wider operating temperatures and enhanced shock resistance. In this regard, our AI Storage Core utilises advanced packaging technology to achieve an integrated design, offering greater durability.
High convenience: in scenarios like AI PCs and humanoid robots, hot-swap support is essential. Our products are designed to meet this requirement as well.
Q: Tell us more about Lexar teaming up with the men’s Argentina football team?
TS: Lexar, as a brand born in the US, has always had a strong focus on the sports world. In the past, we have sponsored rally teams and Formula 1 teams. Beyond the alignment of shared values, we recognise that many sports fans are already among our core users – professional sports photographers, vloggers and content creators rely on Lexar products every day. Therefore, the partnership was a natural fit.
Q: Lexar is producing special co-branded products as part of this collaboration?
TS: Indeed, co-branded editions of the Lexar Air Portable SSD, Lexar SL500 Portable SSD, and Lexar D500 USB 3.2 are planned for release in the first half of 2026. They were created to help fans, creators and professionals capture and preserve the moments that matter. The two brands both inspire global audiences: one through football’s ability to unite people across cultures, the other through technology that empowers creators, gamers, and professionals worldwide.
Q: After looking back at 30 years, what are Lexar’s future plans?
TS: After 30 years, our focus is very clear: staying close to the consumer.
The next phase for Lexar will be around three pillars. First, adapting to AI-driven usage. As AI moves into everyday devices like laptops and creator tools, storage needs to deliver more sustained performance and better efficiency. We are aligning our product portfolio to support those new usage patterns – without losing affordability.
Second, smarter product segmentation. In a more volatile memory market, consumers need clarity. We will continue refining our product tiers – so users understand exactly what they’re buying and why.
Third, strengthening retail and channel partnerships. We see long-term opportunity in Europe, and we will continue investing in localised marketing, validation programs and strong channel collaboration to ensure stable supply and competitive positioning.
In short, our future is about practical innovation: making advanced storage technology accessible and reliable for everyday users.
