KIOXIA Introduces Industrial Grade BiCS FLASH 3D Flash Memory

[btarunr]

KIOXIA America, Inc. has introduced new Industrial Grade flash memory devices. This new lineup utilizes the latest generation KIOXIA BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory with 3-bit-per-cell (triple-level cell, TLC) technology, and is available in a 132-BGA package. Densities range from 512 gigabits (64 gigabytes) to 4 terabits (512 gigabytes) to support the unique requirements of industrial applications - including telecommunication, networking, embedded computing and much more.

The storage requirements for many industrial applications stand in stark contrast to those of SSDs designed to be housed in climate-controlled data centers - including the need for extended temperature ranges and the ability to maintain high reliability and performance in rugged operating conditions. Designed with these needs in mind, the new KIOXIA devices support a wide temperature range (-40°C to +85°C) and offer suitable products for the industrial market.



Due to the fact that flash memory cell performance and reliability improve with a smaller number of bits per cell, the new KIOXIA devices feature 1-bit-per-cell (single-level cell, SLC) mode for applications that require faster read/write times and high cell endurance.

As one of the largest suppliers of flash memory, KIOXIA is committed to supporting multiple industrial grade solutions and accommodating applications that have long life cycles. "The addition of next-generation Industrial Grade BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory continues our commitment to supporting the industrial market segment," said Brian Kumagai, director of business development for KIOXIA America, Inc. "KIOXIA also offers wide temperature range (-40°C to +85°C) low density SLC flash memory solutions designed to support industrial applications."

Sampling of the new KIOXIA Industrial Grade flash memory devices commenced earlier this year, with mass production expected late in the fourth quarter of 2022.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[lexluthermiester]

Due to the fact that flash memory cell performance and reliability improve with a smaller number of bits per cell, the new KIOXIA devices feature 1-bit-per-cell (single-level cell, SLC) mode for applications that require faster read/write times and high cell endurance.

This could prove interesting. Binary/Executable affinity is something new to the NAND caching world.

 

[Wirko]

This could prove interesting. Binary/Executable affinity is something new to the NAND caching world.

It's not related to the pSLC caching as we know it, it's called Endurance Groups (EG) and is related to Zoned Namespaces (ZNS) in NVMe 2.0. ZNS may be one of the next big things in server SSD management but less likely for client/consumer SSDs.

The OS and applications can split the storage space into "zones" and manage them the way they know it's best (for performance and durability), taking some guesswork away from the SSD controller. They can decide what and when to erase, for example. They can also switch zones to another number of bits per cell - if the SSD allows that.

https://documents.westerndigital.com/content/dam/doc-library/en_us/assets/public/western-digital/collateral/white-paper/white-paper-zoned-storage-for-hdd-and-ssd-technologies.pdf

This probably explains EGs best but it's only a patent application:

US Patent Application for Applying Endurance Groups To Zoned Namespaces Patent Application (Application #20210132827 issued May 6, 2021) - Justia Patents Search

EGs may be combined with ZNSs to offer greater control of how, where and under what configurations, data is stored to various user-defined sections on a SSD. In embodiments, this exposure of control functionalities to an SSD host provides improved performance to data center and other hyperscale...

patents.justia.com

 

[lexluthermiester]

It's not related to the pSLC caching as we know it, it's called Endurance Groups (EG) and is related to Zoned Namespaces (ZNS) in NVMe 2.0. ZNS may be one of the next big things in server SSD management but less likely for client/consumer SSDs.

The OS and applications can split the storage space into "zones" and manage them the way they know it's best (for performance and durability), taking some guesswork away from the SSD controller. They can decide what and when to erase, for example. They can also switch zones to another number of bits per cell - if the SSD allows that.

https://documents.westerndigital.com/content/dam/doc-library/en_us/assets/public/western-digital/collateral/white-paper/white-paper-zoned-storage-for-hdd-and-ssd-technologies.pdf

This probably explains EGs best but it's only a patent application:

US Patent Application for Applying Endurance Groups To Zoned Namespaces Patent Application (Application #20210132827 issued May 6, 2021) - Justia Patents Search

EGs may be combined with ZNSs to offer greater control of how, where and under what configurations, data is stored to various user-defined sections on a SSD. In embodiments, this exposure of control functionalities to an SSD host provides improved performance to data center and other hyperscale...

patents.justia.com

Ah, nice! I knew this kind of thing was being worked on, but did not know it had been fleshed out to this level of progress, and that was 2 years ago. I wonder where it's at currently?

 

[Wirko]

Ah, nice! I knew this kind of thing was being worked on, but did not know it had been fleshed out to this level of progress, and that was 2 years ago. I wonder where it's at currently?

Hm, your mention of binary/executable affinity led me to believe that this new Kioxia chip is ZNS-capable. But ... if it were true, the press release would mention it. It does mention "applications" but an application is not necessarily DatabaseServer.exe, it could be a computer inside a car.

It's still moderately exciting if the whole flash chip can be switched over to SLC.