Smart Storage Systems to Support 19nm MLC Flash

SMART Storage Systems, Inc. announced its Guardian Technology Platform has enabled the use of 19nm MLC NAND flash for enterprise applications.

Through support for the smaller, more cost effective 19nm process node, SMART Storage Systems’ next generation SSDs provide enterprise data centre and cloud environments with the combination of performance and endurance, and lower the storage TCO.

For years, OEMs and enterprise organisations have looked to SSD performance to meet new throughput requirements being placed on the data center. However, due to the high costs associated with higher endurance eMLC or SLC SSDs, enterprise data centres frequently turn to consumer-grade MLC SSD solutions. Because they are not designed for mixed workload applications, consumer-grade MLC-based SSDs quickly burnout in enterprise environments. This issue is compounded as flash geometry continues to get smaller, and native MLC flash endurance is reduced, increasing organisations TCO due to drive replacement costs.

SMART Storage Systems’ proprietary Guardian Technology Platform drives additional endurance from consumer-grade MLC flash through a proprietary suite of enterprise features and endurance enhancement technologies, enabling organizations to avoid the need to replace SSDs prior to the end of the warranty period.

The Guardian Technology Platform is comprised of three elements designed to optimise performance across all functions in the SSD: FlashGuard, EverGuard, and DataGuard.

FlashGuard enables the use of more cost-effective MLC flash by allowing flash wear out to be dynamically monitored and adjusted to maximise drive life, overcoming the endurance challenges presented as the flash process node shrinks. Additionally, by managing the physics of the flash and not just relying on extensive error recovery techniques, SSD performance remains stable over the life of the drive.

DataGuard and EverGuard combine to provide data integrity by protecting user data from corruption, and preventing the loss of data in the event of unexpected power interruptions.

"As the industry moves to smaller flash process nodes in an effort to drive down cost, it becomes exponentially harder for SSD vendors to meet enterprise endurance and performance requirements," said John Scaramuzzo, president of SMART Storage Systems. "From day one, we have focused on making the most cost-effective flash media enterprise ready. With the Guardian Technology Platform, we are able to manipulate the physics of NAND flash in ways that no other SSD vendor can claim. By bringing this same capability to the 19nm flash node, we can take advantage of the most cost-effective flash, and pass the benefits directly to our users, without compromising on performance or reliability."