Semiconductor firm Microchip has launched a new controller that paves the way for next-generation SSDs with record-breaking capacity and performance.
The Flashtec NVMe 4016 controller delivers upwards of 14GB/second throughput and 3 million IOPS, and features 16 NAND channels that make the most of the speed and bandwidth on offer with PCIe 5.0.
The new Microchip controller is also compatible with a variety of SSD form factors, which could lead to drives with up to 200TB storage space, twice the current capacity record.
SSDs for the cloud
Microchip’s latest controller is built to underpin enterprise-grade SSDs that support the needs of hyperscale cloud providers and other data center operators running highly compute-intensive workloads.
As these organizations begin to embrace the latest high core-count silicon from the likes of AMD and Intel, they will need flash storage capable of feeding processors with data at sufficiently high speeds.
The new controller is also said to meet the stringent security requirements of data center customers, courtesy of dual signature authentication, secure boot, trusted platform support and other facilities.
“Microchip is proud to announce the next generation of our Flashtec NVMe controller product line,” said Pete Hazen, VP of the data center business unit at Microchip.
“Its market-leading performance, coupled with our proven and flexible architecture, means the NVMe 4016 can provide our cloud and OEM customers with a cutting-edge platform for their PCIe Gen 5 NVMe SSD solutions.”
The announcement was well-received by a number of industry players, with executives from Intel, Meta, AMD, SK Hynix and more sharing words of support.
“Supporting ecosystem growth with the industry’s latest standards is key for enabling modern data centers,” said Raghu Nambiar, who heads up data center solutions at AMD, in one such message.
“Our next-generation technologies are well-positioned to take advantage of new standards like PCIe 5.0, enabling next-generation applications in the data centers. And we are pleased to collaborate with key industry leaders such as Microchip to enable the performance and scalability our customers need.”
Also check out our list of the best high capacity storage drives
Via Tom’s Hardware