HighPoint Explores Concept of NVMe AICs and Adapters

From HighPoint Technologies, Inc.

• NVMe AIC and adapters represents the future of storage technology. Previous-gen solutions and current alternatives simply can’t compete on performance, efficiency, or scalability.
• NVMe AIC and adapter technology has been deplyed far and wide after few years on market.These devices already power applications from enterprise data centers to personal gaming systems. 
• Without NVMe AICs and adapters, many features and abilities of the modern computing environments we take for granted might not be possible.

HighPoint Technologies, Inc. explores the concept of the NVMe AICs and adapters, with an emphasis on advanced, pro-class varieties, and explores how these storage form factors can impact high-speed applications vis productivity, scalability, cost efficiency, and felxibility.

What Is a Pro-Class NVMe AIC or NVMe Adapter?
As industries increasingly incorporate AI driven technology into their workflows, the need for a faster, denser storage solutions is on the rise. NVMe media is the storage of choice for many applications, as single NVMe SSDs are capable of delivering performance on par with an entire rack of SAS/SATA devices.

PCIe AICs and adapter cards are one of the most effective ways to deploy NVMe storage in modern computing environments. NVMe AICs and adapter solutions provide a wealth of benefits for AI driven applications, and as most require only a single PCIe slot, they can be easily integrated into any industry standard x86 server or workstation, even compact, custom-configured GPU servers and industrial platforms.

Pro-Class NVMe AICs and adapters represent the cream of the crop – in addition the aggregation of NVMe storage configurations, Pro-Class solutions can bring a range of innovative features and technologies to the table, such as robust management and monitoring suites, the ability to create and host RAID arrays, and support for SED (self-encrypting disks), which can substantially enhance the security and reliability of critical storage assets.

The following article explores the concept of the NVMe AICs and adapters, with an emphasis on advanced, Pro-Class varieties, and explores how these storage form factors can impact high-speed applications in the following ways:

• Increased productivity: NVMe media’s ability to interface directly with the host CPU(s) can boost data processing speeds and facilitate a more efficient workflow. NVMe AICs and adapters were designed to leverage multiple SSDs to enhance these attributes even further.

• Scalability: NVMe AICs and adapters can support multiple NVMe SSDs per PCIe slot. Multiple device channels enable administrators to add or remove media as needed to address the needs of each application. Unique offerings, such as HighPoint’s PCIe Gen5 Pro-Class series AICs and adapters solutions can combine up to 8 independent SSDs to maximize capacity and performance via RAID technology. HighPoint’s Value-Series Adapters can support an number of devices, up to 32 via a storage backplane.

• Cost efficiency: No longer exotic media, NVMe SSDs are now readily available in a variety of form factors, capacities, and classes, ranging from client M.2 SSDs to datacenter class EDSFF media and enterprise grade 2.5” U.2/U.3 drives.

• Flexible solutions: NVMe AICs and Adapters enable administrators to take advantage of NVMe storage technology. Value Series solutions can function as simple, plug-and-play storage upgrades, as they are natively supported by most OSs and require no driver or software installation. Pro-Series takes things even further and offer a selection of advanced features such as integrated RAID technology, hot-swap and hot-plug capability (the ability to add or remove SSDs and arrays on the fly), data encryption, and complete storage management/monitoring solutions. Pro-Class solutions enable administrators to rapidly deploy NVMe storage configurations for a wide range of applications, workflows and platforms.

Getting to know NVMe AICs and NVMe adapters
NVMe is the current standard for high-performance storage devices like SSDs and flash memory.

NVMe devices use the system’s PCIe host interface to interact directly with the host platform’s CPU or CPUs. This architecture facilitates significantly faster response time, lower latency, and superior transfer performance – particularly compared to SAS, SATA and other conventional alternatives.

NVMe storage devices come in numerous form factors such as compact M.2 and E1.S SSDs , 2.5” U.2, U.3 and E3.S media, or PCIe add-in devices. For many applications, PCIe NVMe AICs (add-in-cards) and adapters are most effective choice:

• NVMe AICs (add-in cards) are independent PCIe controller cards designed to directly host NVMe media. User can plug them into an open PCIe slot to quickly add NVMe storage or expand storage available capacity.

• Like NVMe AICs, NVMe adapters are PCIe add-in-cards. However, instead of hosting storage directly, most adapters host NVMe media via device cables. The cables can be connected directly to the SSDs themselves, or to a storage backplane.

Leveraging multiple NVMe SSDs via a PCIe Adapter or AIC can result in a powerful data solution. Users can take advantages of blazing-fast, high-density storage in a compact, universal form factor.

Key features and benefits of NVMe AICs and adapters
NVMe AICs and adapters do more than just make storage upgrades more convenient. Their industry-standard form factor, universal PCIe connectivity and ability to host multiple NVMe SSDs make them ideal storage and performance upgrades for a wide range of server and workstation applications.

• Consistently high performance
• Scalability – multiple device ports enable you greatly expand available storage capacity
• Universal PCIe interface and form factor compatibility
• Improved power efficiency, durability, and reliability
• Highly Flexible: different classes of solutions provide unique feature sets and allow you to tailor unique storage configurations for any application or workflow

Consistently high performance
The undeniable performance advantages provided by NVMe AICs and adapters is a huge factor in their success.

• Superior NVMe SSD performance: NVMe SSDs transfer data far faster than their SAS and SATA counterparts. For instance, with a single Gen4 NVMe SSD, user might see transfer speeds up to 7,000MB/s. Upgrading to a Gen5 SSD would double this to 14,000MB/s. For comparison, SAS and SATA SSDs max out at around 500-1,000MB/s.
• Performance aggregation: Advanced NVMe AICs can directly host and leverage up to 8 individual NVMe SSDs. Those capable of running at x16 PCIe speeds, such as HighPoint’s SSD and Rocket series product lines, can maximize per-slot performance. This results in breathtaking real-world transfer speeds; 14,000MB/s for Gen3, 28,000MB/s for Gen4, and an astounding 56,000MB/s for Gen5.
• Low-latency: Latency is significantly lower with NVMe media. Because NVMe accesses the host CPU directly, response time is immediate. Processing times also drop, which lowers overall latency. Advanced NVMe AICs, in particular, those that utilize PCIe Switch Architecture, all but eliminate lag.
• Higher IO/s: NVMe AICs IO/s rates outpace other storage solutions. These devices also excel at random RW operations, making them a go-to solution for high-performance applications that depend on rapid data retrieval and storage.

Scalability
NVMe AICs and adapters simplify scalability and storage upgrade paths. When upgrading using individual NVMe SSDs, you’ll quickly hit a wall: motherboards only offer so many built-in M.2 ports. In contrast, PCIe NVMe AICs and adapters accomplish much more with and only need a single PCIe slot. Instead settle for single drive when you can add up to 32.

Advanced Pro-Class NVMe AICs like HighPoint’s PCIe Gen5 x16 Rocket 7608A Switch AIC provide up to 8 independent device ports – this enables you to add 8xM.2 SSDs to your platform without having to invest in any other storage related hardware – no drive bays, no cabling, no additional power or cooling concerns.

Advanced NVMe adapters can provide even more flexibility when it comes to storage expansion. HighPoint’s Pro-Class Rocket 7628A PCIe Gen5 x16 RAID adapter can be configured to support multiple storage backplanes via its 4xMCIO ports, and is a solution for platforms equipped with 2.5” drive bays or mobile racks, like edge SMB, and enterprise servers or platforms that employ HCI.

• Expand or upgrade storage capacity: User can add or replace drives using multiple device channels and ports to optimize space and bandwidth. Advanced NVMe Adapters can even support Hot-Swap and Hot-Plug, which allows to add or remove SSDs on the fly.

• Build multi-drive configurations: Some NVMe Add-in cards support resiliency-oriented multi-drive configurations, like RAID-1 mirroring, which can add redundancy to bootable, or RAID-0, which can combine a group of SSDs to act as a single unit in order to optimize performance and storage capacity over a full x16 lanes of PCIe host bandwidth.

Universal interface and form factor compatibility
Most industry-standard computing platforms support PCIe devices.

This makes NVMe AICs a perfect fit, and having many form factor options at disposal doesn’t hurt:

• Low-profile: Also commonly referred to as ‘Half-Height’, NVMe Adapters and 2-port AICs often use this form factor to fit in small spaces. This form factor is perfect for compact industrial platforms, desktops and rackmount servers.

• Full-height, full-length: Many 4- and 8-channel M.2 NVMe AICs use this form factor to pack in more drives. Though larger than a Low-Profile device, these cards are considerably more compact than a full-size graphics card.

• Full-height/full-length/dual-width: 8-Channel E1.S AICs may demand more space – these cards are roughly the size of a high-end GPU. However, this form factor packs quite a punch. E1.S combines enterprise reliability and performance with the convenience of M.2 media. HighPoint’s SSD7749E AIC is the prime example.

• PCIe Connectivity: Right out of the box, the PCIe connectivity of NVMe AICs and Adapters provides 2 distinct benefits: universal compatibility and easy installation . While it’s essential to match up your PCIe ‘x’ lanes (there’s a big difference between electrical lane bandwidth and physical slot size), NVMe AIC and adapters are available for every application and form factor.

The takeaway? You can upgrade almost any modern or recent legacy computing platform with an NVMe AIC. Look closely and you’ll find these devices employed everywhere, from compact rackmount servers and industrial mini-PCs to tower desktop workstations and high-end gaming rigs!

Improved power efficiency, durability, and reliability
NVMe AICs are highly power efficient, wasting far less energy than SAS/SATA media. This is better for data centers and high-performance computing environments. These devices also excel at energy and heat management:

• More sustainable power consumption: NVMe AICs are just engineered differently. They consume less power than traditional storage solutions, lowering operational costs.

• Dedicated heat dissipation: Advanced NVMe AICs include built-in cooling hardware. Needing to add more platform-level cooling is a thing of the past. More efficient heat management also avoids thermal throttling, ensures optimal performance, increases SSD longevity, and improves reliability.

NMVe AICs vs. alternatives
NVMe AICs are a worthwhile investment because they achieve what alternative technologies can’t:

• SATA looks downright slow by comparison. NVMe AIC performance completely outclasses SATA-based solutions. This even holds true for PCIe Gen3 NVMe media. Cost-effective Gen3 SSDs offers 3,500MB/s of transfer speed, beating today’s fastest SATA SSDs by a factor of 7.

• SAS can’t keep up. NVMe AICs offer significantly lower latency and vastly higher data transfer rates than SAS drives.

• Standalone NVMe SSDs are fast but limited in capacity. Relying on single NVMe SSDs will only net you x4 bus speed and 61.44TB a piece. In contrast, NVMe AICs and Adapters can combine multiple SSDs to boost performance and total capacity.

• NVMe adapters support U.2/U.3 and EDSFF media. You can build extremely high-capacity solutions with industry-standard 2.5” NVMe devices. This type of solution is easy for many to transition to, especially if they are already familiar with SAS/SATA technology. U.2, U.3 and E3.S (EDFSS) utilize the long standing 2.5” form factor and associated chassis hardware. Adapters with PCIe Switch technology, such as HighPoint’s Pro-Class Rocket 7628A, can be configured to support as many as 32 61.44TB NVMe SSDs from a single slot; this can result in nearly 5PB of storage at PCIe Gen5 x16 speeds!

• M.2 and EI.S NVMe AICs can directly host storage media without cabling. They make building compact, high-speed, all-in-one storage solutions a simple task. They enable you to instantly add up to 61TB of M.2 or E1.S storage with x16 lanes of performance using a single PCIe device!

Classes of NVMe AICs and adapters
In most cases, NVMe AICs/Adapters are not one-size fits all solutions. To determine which is the right solution for your application, it’s important to understand the types of solutions available in today’s marketplace.

AICs/adapters are classified into 4 main categories or classes, based on PCIe architecture:

• PCIe Controller
• PCIe Switch
• PCIe Retimer
• PCIe Redriver

This section will discuss each type of architecture, and summarize Pros and Cons associated with each technology.

PCIe NVMe Controller

What is PCIe NVMe controller?
It is simply a PCIe to NVMe controller card. It does not employ any particular technology to enhance NVMe performance or scalability, and really only provides NVMe device ports or device channels. It is the most basic form of PCIe add-in NVMe solution, and also the most common. For example, many of the default NVMe expansion accessories for various platforms (such as factory-built Dell, HP or ASUS computers) are simply ordinary controller cards that function as a basic M.2 to PCIe adapter. This class of AIC/Adapter is also fully dependent on host bifurcation – they rely on the host CPU to allocate PCIe lanes and process all I/O requests. Faster that SAS/SATA? Sure, but still entry-level when it comes to NVMe storage.

Applications: General computing; office platforms or home PCs and budget gaming rigs.

Pros of PCIe NVMe controller: In summary, cost and simplicity. Most of these solutions are offered in an accessory format, are pre-tested and configured for a specific make/model or range of PC platforms, and are relatively affordable. They are a simple way to add more M.2 ports to as system.

Cons of PCIe NVMe controller: These devices tend to provide basic M.2 connectivity and not much else. Most are limited to 1, 2 or 4 ports (max), and few, if any, can provide a full x4 lanes for each SSD. Performance and drive count is ultimately determined by the host computer. As touched upon earlier, these devices rely on system-side bifurcation to function; that is, they are 100% dependent on the host platform for PCIe lane assignment. This often limits the number of supported SSDs, and SSD performance may be limited to x1 lanes, regardless of the PCIe host interface (be it Gen3 4 or 5).

PCIe Switch

What is a PCIe switch?
An NVMe AIC or Adapter with an architecture based on PCIe Switch technology can be thought of as operating like a network switch for PCIe lanes; it can distribute PCIe lanes to each hosted NVMe device (some can handle as many as 144 lanes internally), and can offload I/O requests from the host computer’s CPU. PCIe Switches were developed for professional workflows that demand maximum performance, massive storage capability and enhanced flexibility when it comes to configuring storage devices. PCIe Switches allow hosted NVMe devices (SSDs) can communicate with each other directly through the AIC or adapter, as opposed to other architectures, where the I/O requests to and from each SSD must first go through the host CPU. HighPoint NVMe AICs and Adapters employ this type of architecture. A break-down of this innovative technology is provided here.

Applications: PCIe switches are commonly used in data centers, and high-performance professional/industrial server and workstation environments where multiple NVMe devices must be hosted and managed simultaneously, without burdening the host CPU.

Pros of PCIe switch in an NVMe AIC/adapter

Scalability: PCIe switches enable the connection of multiple NVMe drives to a single device channel and/or PCIe slot, providing excellent scalability for storage expansion. PCI switches allow for high number of device ports (up to 8 vs. other architectures, which usually cap SSD count to 4, max.). In addition, each device port can be configured to host multiple SSDs. HighPoint’s Rocket 7628A RAID Adapter can be configured can host as many as 32 individual U.2/U.3/E3.SNVMe SSDs via 8 device ports.

Performance and flexibility: They allow dynamic allocation of PCIe lanes. PCIe Switch AICs/Adapters, such as HighPoint Rocket and SSD series solutions, have x48 internal lanes, x16 of which are allocated to the upstream port (connection to the host platform), with x4 lanes to each hosted NVMe SSD. This technology ensures the AIC/Adapter can maximize real-world transfer performance over each PCIe x16 slot (up to 14,000MB/s for Gen3, 28,000MB/s for Gen4, and 56,000MB/s for Gen5).

Cons of PCIe Switch in NVMe AIC/Adapter

• Complexity: Implementing a PCIe switch adds complexity to the AIC/Adapter design, requiring precise engineering.
• Cost: PCIe switches can be expensive, increasing the overall cost of the NVMe AIC/Adapter solution.

PCIe Retimer

What is a PCIe Retimer?
It is designed to regenerate (or repeat) the PCIe signal to extend its range and improve integrity (strength/reliability of the signal). They are capable of equalizing, amplifying the signal to ensure consistency and reliable data transmission over longer distances.

Applications: Retimers are used in systems with extensive cabling; situations where the PCIe signal needs to travel over longer distances without degradation.

Pros of PCIe Retimer in NVMe AIC/adapter:

• Signal integrity: As mentioned previously, the ability to regenerate the PCIe signal ensures reliable data transmission over long distances. Which leads to….
• Long-Distance support: They allow PCIe signals to travel further without degradation. This can potentially add flexibility when designing the system.

Cons of PCIe Retimer in an NVMe AIC/adapter:

• High cost: Retimers are relatively expensive, adding to the cost of the overall system.
• High Power consumption: Retimers consume much more power compared to simpler signal enhancement technologies like a PCIe Redriver.
• Limited by host bifurcation: PCIe NVMe Retimers provide a maximum of 4 NVMe ports, and are subject to host bifurcation. For example, common solutions built around the Intel z790 limit direct CPU lanes to 1 at x16 or 2 at x8. This results in a performance bottleneck, as lanes can only be distributed as either x8 or x16 – SSDs need x4 to perform optimally, so the extra bandwidth is essentially wasted (as it can’t be applied to other SSDs).

PCIe Redriver

What is a PCIe Redriver?
Similar in concept to PCIe Retimers, it can amplify the PCIe signal to compensate for signal loss, though over shorter distances and without the regenerative capability. This can boost signal strength to overcome attenuation and improve overall signal quality. Aorus’s PCIe Gen5 AICs utilize this technology.

Applications: Redrivers are employed in scenarios where minor signal degradation needs to be corrected over short to moderate distances.

Pros of PCIe Redriver in NVMe AIC/adapter:

• Signal boost: Redrivers can boost the PCIe signal to overcome minor losses, ensuring better signal quality.
• Cost-effectiveness: They are generally more affordable than Retimers or PCIe Switches, providing a cost-effective solution for improving signal quality.

Cons of PCIe Redriver in NVMe AIC/adapter :

• Limited functionality: Redrivers only amplify the signal and do not regenerate it, which means they are less effective for long-distance signal transmission.
• Noise: Amplifying the signal can also amplify noise, which can potentially affect signal quality and latency if not managed properly.
• Limited by host bifurcation: As with PCIe NVMe Retimers, PCIe NVMe Redrivers are subject to host bifurcation, and can suffer from the same performance bottlenecks. Bandwidth distribution is limited to specific configurations, which usually results in a handicap for each SSD.

Still wondering which is best for your app? Consider, use cases by industry

• Data centers: High-density storage solutions benefit from PCIe switches for scalability and flexibility, while Retimers can be used for extended signal reach in large setups.
• HPC: PCIe Switches can maximize performance and device count. Both Retimers and Redrivers are used to maintain signal integrity across complex HPC environments.
• Industrial and enterprise applications: PCIe switches enable efficient resource management and expansion, while Retimers can ensure reliable signal transmission in extensive enterprise networks.

NVMe AIC use cases
NVMe AICs and Adapters can improve the performance, scalability and productivity of an immense range of applications and workflows. We’ve classified the most common by PCIe-Gen.

Applications that can benefit from PCIe Gen3 NVMe AIC or adapter
While not as fast as PCIe Gen4, Gen3 NVMe AICs and Adapters still offer substantial benefits over traditional SAS/SATA storage solutions, making them suitable for a wide range of use cases.

Desktop workstations :

• Benefits: Enhance storage performance and productivity for everyday tasks.
• Use cases: Home/office computing solutions

SMB file or networking servers :

• Benefits: Improved data access speeds and reliability for day-to-day business workflows
• Use cases: SMB applications

Data backup and archiving :

• Benefits: Quicker data backup and retrieval processes.
• Use case: Local backup solutions, long-term data storage, and archival systems.

Home media servers :

• Benefits: Smooth streaming and quick access to media files.
• Use cases: Home theater PCs (HTPCs), media streaming servers, and personal cloud storage/ Web Development

Educational and research labs:

• Benefits: Improved storage performance for academic projects and data analysis
• Use cases: Computer labs, research projects, and student workstations.

Virtualization:

SMB virtualization solutions :

• Benefit: Better I/O performance for VMs.
• Use case: Development and testing of virtualized environments, small-scale VMs.

Home/SMB video surveillance systems:

• Benefits: Enhanced data recording and retrieval speeds for surveillance footage.
• Use cases: Home and small business security systems, CCTV setups.

Lightweight database applications:

• Benefits: Enhanced performance for small to medium-sized databases.
• Use cases: Local database servers, small business inventory systems, and CRM systems.

While considered legacy technology, PCIe Gen3 NVMe AICs and Adapters can significantly enhance the performance of a wide range of day-to-day applications and SMB workflows by providing faster data access and improving the overall responsiveness of the host platform.

Applications that will benefit from PCIe Gen 4 x16 AICs and adapters
Most mainstream applications will see immediate benefit from a PCIe NVMe Gen 4 x16 AIC (Add-In Card) or adapter solution:

HPC:

• Benefits: Maximizes data throughput and lowers latency for applications that process large data sets and complex computations.
• Use cases: Scientific simulations, engineering computations, and data-intensive research.

4K/8K media editing and post-production platforms :

• Benefits: High-speed data transfer and playback for large video/audio files, enabling real-time editing and faster rendering.
• Use cases: Professional video editing platforms, video/audio effects, 3D rendering and content creation, and color grading.

Database management systems (DBMS):

Benefits: Enhanced RW speeds and IO/s, which reduces query response times and increases transaction rates.

Use cases: Enterprise-level databases, real-time analytics, and large-scale data warehousing applications

AI/ML:

• Benefits: Faster data loading and model training, supporting high-throughput and parallel processing.
• Use cases: Training neural networks, running AI models, and big data analytics.

Virtualization and cloud infrastructure:

• Benefits: Dramatically elevates IO/s and transfer bandwidth, which enhances VM performance and storage efficiency.
• Use cases: High-density VM hosting, cloud storage solutions, and enterprise cloud services.

Financial services:

• Benefits: Facilitates ultra-low latency and high-speed transactions, which is crucial for financial applications.
• Use cases: High-frequency trading platforms, market data analysis, and financial modeling.

Scientific research and high-speed data acquisition:

• Benefits: High-speed data capture and processing capability enables real-time analysis and faster insights.
• Use cases: Large-scale scientific experiments, sensor data acquisition, and experimental data processing.

Big data analytics:

• Benefit: Accelerates access to large datasets and enhances data processing and analysis capabilities.
• Use case: Real-time analytics solutions, business intelligence applications, and large-scale data processing workflows

Content Delivery Networks (CDN):

• Benefits: Massive data throughput capabilities combined with reduced latency can significantly improve and streamline content delivery.
• Use case: Media Streaming Services, high-traffic web content delivery, and global content distribution

Gaming and VR:

• Benefits: On the production side, the superior performance and transfer bandwidth can improve productivity. On the user front, it can reduce game load times and improved performance for resource and data-intensive games and VR applications.
• Use cases: High-end gaming setups, VR and game development, and immersive gaming experiences.

Backup and DR:

• Benefits: Rapid backup and restoration can minimize downtime and the risk of data loss.
• Use cases: Enterprise backup solutions, disaster recovery plans, for high-availability systems.

CAD/CAM and 3D modeling:

• Benefits: rapidly load and render complex models and designs
• Use cases: AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and other 3D modeling and design software.

Healthcare and medical imaging:

• Benefits: Quick access to large medical images and patient data, enhancing diagnostic capabilities.
• Use cases: MRI/CT scan storage, electronic health records (EHR), and medical research databases.

E-Commerce platforms:

• Benefits: Enhances transaction processing speeds to improves efficiency and customer experience
• Use cases: Large-scale e-commerce websites, processing online transactions, and inventory management

Streaming and media production:

• Benefits: Faster data transfer rates support high-quality streaming and media production workflows
• Use cases: Live streaming services, content creation, and media production studios.

NAS:

• Benefits: Improves data access speeds, transfer performance and reliability for network storage solutions
• Use cases: professional NAS solutions, data centers, and high-capacity storage networks

PCIe Gen 4 x16 AICs and Adapters provide substantial performance improvements over Gen3 solutions, and are ideal for applications that require high-speed data transfer, low latency, and robust storage capacity.

Applications that benefit from PCIe Gen 5 x16 AICs and adapters
Cutting edge computing applications that employ PCIe Gen5 capable computing platforms can reap huge rewards from a PCIe Gen 5 x16 AIC (Add-In Card) or adapter solution:

HPC:

• Benefits: Exceptional data throughput and minimized latency for complex, data-intensive computations.
• Use cases: Advanced simulations, large-scale scientific research projects and engineering computations

Ultra-high-resolution video editing and post-production workflows:

• Benefits: Unmatched speed for transferring massive 8K/16K video files, which enables real-time editing and rapid rendering
• Use cases: Professional video production, audio/visual special effects platforms, and high-resolution video processing

Advanced database management systems (DBMS):

• Benefits: Superior read/write speeds and IO/s can dramatically reduce query response times while boosting transaction throughput
• Use cases: High-frequency trading databases, large-scale enterprise databases, and real-time analytics platforms

AI/ML:

• Benefits: Massive boost to data ingestion and model training facilitates high-throughput and parallel processing workflows
• Use cases: Training deep neural networks, running complex AI models, and extensive data analytics

Virtualization and cloud infrastructure:

• Benefits: Higher IOs and bandwidth, significantly improving VM performance and storage efficiency.
• Use cases: Large-scale VM hosting, cloud storage solutions, and high-performance enterprise cloud services.

Scientific research and real-time data acquisition:

• Benefits: Ultra-fast data capture and processing capabilities enable immediate analysis and faster insights
• Use cases: Real-time scientific experiments, large-scale data collection, and experimental data processing

Big data analytics:

• Benefits: Unparalleled access speed to massive datasets, enhancing data processing and real-time analytics.
• Use cases: Real-time business intelligence, advanced analytics platforms, and large-scale data processing tasks.

Content Delivery Networks (CDN):

• Benefits: Superior data throughput and reduced latency, enhancing content delivery speed and reliability.
• Use case: High-speed streaming services, global web content delivery, and large-scale content distribution.

Gaming and VR:

• Benefits: Builds on Gen4 solutions by further reducing load times and enhancing performance for resource intensive titles and VR applications. On the production side, Gen5 NVMe storage provides blazing fast, low-latency workspace for development and rendering platforms.
• Use cases: Cutting-edge gaming PCs, VR/Game development

CAD/CAM and 3D modeling:

• Benefits: Significantly reduces load times and rendering speed of highly detailed models and designs.
• Use cases: Professional CAD/CAM software, 3D modeling applications, and design simulation tools

Healthcare and advanced scientific/medical imaging solutions:

• Benefits: Supports ultra-high resolution capture equipment and provides instant access to large medical images and patient data, which improves the speed and accuracy of the diagnostic process.
• Use cases: High-resolution MRI/CT scan storage & electron microscopy, advanced electronic health records (EHR) systems, and medical research databases.

Future NVMe AIC/adapter trends
NVMe technology continues to evolve, and new performance enhancements mean NVMe AICs and Adapters are continually improving. As high-volume data applications and use cases expand, the demand for NVMe AICs and Adapters will also grow. Increasing quantities of data require faster, more reliable storage. AICs and adapters will

Conclusion
NVMe AIC and Adapters represents the future of storage technology. Previous-gen solutions and current alternatives simply can’t compete on performance, efficiency, or scalability.

The proof lies in how wide and far NVMe AIC and adapter technology has been deployed, after just a few years on the market. These devices already power applications from enterprise data centers to personal gaming systems. Without NVMe AICs and adapters, many features and abilities of the modern computing environments we take for granted might not be possible.