Intel Further Delivers on Storage Transformation with New SSD Form Factor

[btarunr]

Today, Intel announces major data center storage advances, reiterating Intel's memory technology leadership. The new technologies advance data center storage and deliver innovative solutions to meet the challenges presented by the growing reliance on data. They include:

• "Ruler" form factor for Intel SSDs, an all-new solid state drive form factor enabling up to 1PB of storage in a 1U server rack in the future.
• The world's most advanced dual port portfolio: Intel Optane technology dual port SSDs and Intel 3D NAND dual port SSDs for mission-critical applications.
• An updated SATA family of SSDs for data center, targeted at HDD replacement.

"We are in the midst of an era of major data center transformation, driven by Intel. These new "ruler" form factor SSDs and dual port SSDs are the latest in a long line of innovations we've brought to market to make storing and accessing data easier and faster, while delivering more value to customers," said Bill Leszinske, Intel vice president, Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group (NSG), and director, strategic planning, marketing and business development. "Data drives everything we do - from financial decisions to virtual reality gaming, and from autonomous driving to machine learning - and Intel storage innovations like these ensure incredibly quick, reliable access to that data."



'Ruler' Form Factor for Intel SSDs
The new "ruler" form factor, so-called for its long, skinny shape, shifts storage from the legacy 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch form factors that follow traditional hard disk drives, and the add-in card form factor, which takes advantage of PCIe card slots, and delivers on the promise of non-volatile storage technologies to eliminate constraints on shape and size. The new form factor delivers the most storage capacity for a server, with the lowest required cooling and power needs. The next-generation "ruler" form factor SSDs using Intel 3D NAND technology will enable up to 1PB in a 1U server - enough storage for 300,000 HD movies, or about 70 years of nonstop entertainment. Both Intel Optane SSDs and Intel 3D NAND SSDs in the "ruler" form factor will come to market in the near future.

Dual Port SSDs
Dual port Intel Optane SSDs and Intel 3D NAND SSDs offer critical redundancy and failover, protecting against multiple paths to failure for mission-critical and high-availability applications. Dual port SSDs replace SAS SSDs and HDDs and, with new storage technologies, deliver more IOPS, more bandwidth and lower latency than SAS SSDs. Dual port Intel SSD DC D4500, D4501 and D4600 Series are available to customers today, and dual port Intel Optane SSDs are shipping to select customers for validation now, with broader availability in the fourth quarter.

SATA SSDs for Data Centers
The Intel SSD DC S4500 and S4600 Series combine a new Intel-developed SATA controller, innovative SATA firmware and the industry's highest density 32-layer 3D NAND. These storage-inspired SSDs preserve legacy infrastructure, ensuring a simple transition from hard disk drives to SSDs, while enabling data centers to reduce storage cost, increase server efficiency and minimize service disruptions. The new members of the second-generation Intel3D NAND SSD family are available now.

Intel Optane Technology Webcast
An earlier webcast, hosted by Leszinske and Laura Crone, Intel vice president and director of NSG End-User Solutions Marketing, featured customers outlining how Intel Optane technology is driving advancements in health care, transforming how transactions occur, enabling real-time analytics and capitalizing on the performance of Intel Xeon CPUs. It is available now for replay.

Leszinske will also share additional details on these products during a keynote address at Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, California, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9, The Intel booths, #839 and #745, will feature demos of the new SSDs.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[TheLostSwede]

Amazingly clear press release that says just about nothing about what the new products are...

 

[Disparia]

 

[Chaitanya]

Is that a foot long ruler? Some mechanical engineers wont be too impressed.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

300,000 HD movies? How many is that in Blu-Ray?

 

[Fx]

That was a ton of fluff. So... basically they have a new form factor with dual port connectivity and it's called Ruler. Got it.

 

[bonehead123]

And of course, they failed to mention the main issue... PRICE

Granted these are high-level devices, but what starts there normally flows down to the consumer level at some point, and consumers wanna know for how much and for how long Intel is gonna gouge us when the time comes

FYI, I'm not too impressed with the form factor either! It looks as long (or longer) than some top-tier GPU's, albeit much shorter and thinner.

 

[Deathlokke]

FYI, I'm not too impressed with the form factor either! It looks as long (or longer) than some top-tier GPU's, albeit much shorter and thinner.

That's the point. It's designed to be the length of a 1u rack to maximize available size.

 

[Static~Charge]

Is that a foot long ruler? Some mechanical engineers wont be too impressed.

Based on the proportions in the picture: at 1U high (1.75 inches / 4.445 cm), the ruler form factor appears to be approximately 14 inches / 35.56 cm long. Lots of space to cram in NAND chips.

FYI, I'm not too impressed with the form factor either! It looks as long (or longer) than some top-tier GPU's, albeit much shorter and thinner.

The target for ruler drives is servers and data centers, not desktop machines.