OCP Global Summit: Kioxia Demonstrates Flexible Data Placement-Enabled SSD Running RocksDB

Kioxia America, Inc. was showcasing and demonstrating benefits of its XD Series SSDs equipped with Flexible Data Placement (FDP) functionality running the RocksDB database at the Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit, taking place from October 15-17 in San Jose, CA.

The RocksDB database excels in high-performance searches through vast amounts of data and managing history data, and is widely used in GenAI and cloud applications. FDP is a feature defined in the NVM Express Technical Proposal TP4146 that allows flexible control of data placement within an SSD. By appropriately managing data placement within the SSD, while minimizing changes to host software and device drivers, FDP optimization can enhance performance and extend the lifespan of the SSD.

SSDs follow instructions from host software and device drivers for data storage and erasure. As this process is repeated, data reallocation may occur within the SSD, potentially leading to reduced access speed and unnecessary consumption of flash memory write cycles, especially when data reallocation occurs frequently. Leveraging FDP can help mitigate potential data reallocation, maximizing the performance and lifespan of the SSD.

The demonstration at OCP Global Summit shows FDP functionality in a XD Series Data Center NVMe SSD and a company’s developed plugin (a small program that extends functionality in an application) enabling FDP capability, and tested with RocksDB. Thorough testing and evaluation have resulted in approximately 3 times the lifespan improvement and approximately 1.8 times the performance for the RocksDB application in an FDP-enabled system, compared to a traditional system utilizing conventional SSDs and a file system ⁽¹⁾.

These achievements will be showcased through a live demonstration at the Kioxia booth during the 2024 OCP Global Summit. The company also plans to release the RocksDB FDP compatibility plugin as an open-source contribution. The firm remains committed to developing and sharing technologies for effective utilization of SSDs and flash memory, contributing to the efficiency of advanced computing infrastructures and data centers in the future.

⁽¹⁾ Performance claim based on testing in a Kioxia lab environment, as of October 14, 2024.