Flash memory and storage

Top Stories

Feature 22 Mar 2023
Understand how the CXL SSD can aid performance

Although CXL SSDs are only in the research phase, their performance shows promise. When used as simple memory extensions, they should improve programs that manage large data sets. Continue Reading
Feature 09 Mar 2023
How SSD data reduction can help enterprises

Data reduction techniques have been difficult to achieve on SSDs, but vendors appear to be making progress. The more effective the data reduction, the more affordable SSDs become. Continue Reading

News 01 Mar 2023

Pure aims new FlashBlade//E at unstructured data market

Pure Storage expanded its storage offerings with FlashBlade//E designed for the unstructured data market with an acquisition cost on par with hybrid storage. Continue Reading
News 27 Feb 2023

Vast Data expands data services for file and object

Vast Data Universal Storage brought out data services, including set performance, metadata cataloging, better security, container integration and snapshots. Continue Reading
Opinion 10 Feb 2023

Why QLC flash changes the hybrid cloud equation

In the debates of hard drives vs. flash and on vs. off premises, the answer is often not just one over the other. However, surging QLC flash technology offers many benefits. Continue Reading
News 07 Feb 2023

NetApp adds storage buying options, arrays

NetApp introduces a myriad of buying options and hybrid cloud capabilities for VMware workloads on Google Cloud. Soon-to-come: new QLC all-flash arrays. Continue Reading
Feature 02 Feb 2023

Volatile times for non-volatile memory as NAND sales decline

All the major NAND vendors are seeing poor earnings as the demand for flash storage has dried up over the last two quarters. Continue Reading
Feature 31 Jan 2023

How to purchase SSDs during a NAND flash price fall

Although NAND flash prices are collapsing, that doesn't mean that they will pop back up at some future date. It's rarely a good idea to purchase SSDs well before they are needed. Continue Reading
Guest Post 26 Jan 2023

Understand SSD overheating and what to do about it

It's easy for an SSD to overheat, but there are several methods to cool it down. Keep cool, and avoid damage to the SSD's data retention and integrity. Continue Reading
News 12 Jan 2023

Micron's 9400 U.3 SSD aimed at AI, ML workloads

Micron has expanded its NVMe SSD portfolio with the 9400 U.3, a TLC drive designed to provide high-performance storage for high-performance use cases. Continue Reading
News 09 Nov 2022

Samsung begins producing 1 terabit TLC NAND

Samsung has begun mass production on its latest generation of V-NAND, bringing 1 terabit per chip to raise density and increase speed. Continue Reading
News 01 Nov 2022

Promises, potential pitfalls of software-enabled flash

An open source project is aiming to upend how storage architecture runs, but for developers to see potential gains, they'll have to invest in both hardware and software. Continue Reading
Feature 28 Oct 2022

Filmmaker uses NAS storage for better collaboration

With normal workflows out the window, horror filmmaker Damien LeVeck eased the collaborative movie editing process by going all-in with Blackmagic Cloud Store. Continue Reading
News 07 Oct 2022

Micron investment to spark chip ecosystem in New York

The $100 billion plan aims to bring businesses and thousands of workers to the Syracuse, N.Y., area -- and boost the chip supply for the IT staples and innovations CIOs pursue. Continue Reading
Feature 29 Sep 2022

State tax agency nixes slow HDD backup for speedier flash

The Mississippi Department of Revenue chose an all-flash storage and backup setup to maximize app performance and minimize headaches after a spinning-platter disaster. Continue Reading
News 21 Sep 2022

IntelliProp CEO describes how CXL will change memory market

In this Q&A, IntelliProp CEO John Spiers talks about his vision for CXL and how it will affect both storage performance and the storage market. Continue Reading
News 08 Sep 2022

NAND prices drop, but customers won't benefit

Supply chain disruptions, recession fears and war in Ukraine have helped push the price of NAND down sharply, but OEMs may not lower their prices any time soon. Continue Reading
News 26 Aug 2022

The legacy of Optane goes on

Intel's storage class memory has ceased production, but the technology and the mission for cheaper, more performant storage disrupted an entire market. Continue Reading
News 25 Aug 2022

Kioxia looks back at 35 years of NAND -- and at what's ahead

Kioxia invented NAND memory 35 years ago. At FMS, the company highlighted the technological achievements of NAND while introducing new SSDs and protocols. Continue Reading
Opinion 18 Aug 2022

Understand the Intel Optane shutdown

Intel's upcoming shutdown of Optane follows multibillion-dollar losses. However, some technology benefits came out of the IT giant's effort to improve storage performance. Continue Reading
News 08 Aug 2022

Phison's new X1 controller to power Seagate SSD

Seagate continues its partnership with Phison through the release of the X1, a customizable SSD controller that promises higher performance and lower power use. Continue Reading
News 29 Jul 2022

Intel pulls the plug on Optane

Intel will wind down its storage class memory business as it plans to shift focus elsewhere, while still supporting current customers using the technology. Continue Reading
Feature 29 Jul 2022

What to know about SMART SSD use

This overview of SMART attributes in SSDs explains how organizations can put them to good use. SMART SSDs provide peace of mind about device life span. Continue Reading
News 27 Jul 2022

Micron breaks the 200-layer barrier in NAND

Micron is shipping a 232-layer NAND that brings higher density and performance with potentially lower costs, starting on the client side before moving to the data center. Continue Reading
News 28 Jun 2022

Micron releases first 176-layer NAND SATA SSD

Micron brings high endurance, lower costs and continued support for the SATA interface with the release of its new 5400 SATA SSD for the data center. Continue Reading
Tip 24 Jun 2022

QLC vs. TLC SSDs: Which is best for your storage needs?

QLC flash memory is best for most read-intensive workloads, while TLC is suited to write-dominant workloads. Discover how QLC vs. TLC NAND are coexisting in the data center. Continue Reading
Opinion 14 Jun 2022

Pure Storage's focus shines at Pure Accelerate 2022

At Pure Accelerate 2022, Pure Storage displayed its continued investment in R&D, coupled with new product releases. The vendor should continue to make a splash in flash. Continue Reading
News 08 Jun 2022

Pure Storage FlashBlade//S increases performance, flexibility

The new Pure Storage FlashBlade//S expands the file and object storage array into a family with more options and more use cases. Continue Reading
News 25 May 2022

IBM releases compact, ultra-fast storage for AI

IBM released the elastic storage system 3500, a new object storage array that uses Spectrum Scale to provide fast storage for AI modeling and training. Continue Reading
News 03 May 2022

Dell to ship all-NVMe version of VxRail for Project Monterey

Dell plans to ship an all-NVMe version of VxRail that will be the first hyper-converged system to work with VMware's Project Monterey, scheduled for release this summer. Continue Reading
Tip 28 Apr 2022

How enterprises can ensure NVMe security in 2.0

Today's world demands airtight security more than ever. Key NVMe security features, such as namespaces, the Lockdown command and TLS in NVMe over TCP, keep data safe. Continue Reading
News 22 Apr 2022

Vast Data, Vertica to deliver data lakehouse and analytics

Vast Data combined its disaggregated 'share everything' storage with Vertica's high-performance analytics to create a data lakehouse that answers queries in near real time. Continue Reading
Feature 12 Apr 2022

Ways to add enterprise NVMe drives to your infrastructure

Organizations can benefit from faster data transport between applications and storage through NVMe. When looking at enterprise NVMe, remember management and cost considerations. Continue Reading
News 11 Apr 2022

Nexsan brings NVMe storage to SMBs

Nexsan Unity NV10000 storage array helps NVMe storage become more mainstream by making the interface accessible to smaller companies. Continue Reading
News 30 Mar 2022

Kioxia releases PCIe Gen 5 SSD for data centers

Kioxia's CD8, its second-generation PCIe Gen 5 SSDs, provides increased performance and a 2.5 inch form factor that make it much more data center-friendly than the CD7. Continue Reading
Feature 28 Mar 2022

OpenDrives key to remote editing of Dave Grohl documentary

Jim Rota and Dean Gonzalez lacked high-performance storage needed to make and edit their new music documentary, so they turned to a vendor born out of Hollywood movie-making. Continue Reading
Feature 24 Mar 2022

SSD vs. SSHD vs. HDD: Which one is best?

Hybrid drives promise fast, cost-effective performance for primary and secondary storage. Here's what you need to know about the benefits and drawbacks compared to SSDs and HDDs. Continue Reading
Feature 16 Mar 2022

A primer on SSD response time, other performance benchmarks

Consider several SSD performance benchmarks, including SSD response time as a key unit of measurement. Also, note the difference between benchmarks and load generators. Continue Reading
News 15 Mar 2022

Kioxia ups NAND ante with new 24G SAS SSD

Kioxia unveils its second-generation 24G SAS SSDs, the PM7, building off its previous generation to provide added performance and support for the new FIPS standard. Continue Reading
Feature 14 Mar 2022

The role of NVMe network storage for the future

This chapter excerpt from 'Building a Future-Proof Cloud Infrastructure' examines the role networking and storage protocols, like NVMe, could have in the remote storage market. Continue Reading
News 11 Mar 2022

Kioxia, WD NAND contamination to affect flash pricing

A contamination last month of WD NAND that also affected Kioxia has been corrected, but the fallout from disrupted flash memory production is not yet known. Continue Reading
News 09 Mar 2022

Nvidia buys Excelero to speed block storage access in DPUs

Excelero's NVMe storage pooling technology will become integrated with Nvidia's DPU technology stack for faster block storage access in data centers. Continue Reading
News 01 Mar 2022

Micron releases first 176-layer NAND data center SSD

The Micron 7450 marks the launch of the first 176-layer NAND SSD aimed at the data center, bringing a consistently low-latency, PCIe Gen 4 performance and a spectrum of form factors. Continue Reading
Feature 25 Feb 2022

Vast Data solves high-performance computing challenge

When DUG began to supply high-performance computing as a service, it discovered its storage was not up to the task, sending the company on a years-long journey. Continue Reading
Feature 14 Feb 2022

The top data storage and management tools of 2021

Software focused on large-scale data management and storage in expanding environments won in this year's Products of the Year storage system and application software category. Continue Reading
Feature 14 Feb 2022

The best enterprise storage arrays of 2021

Tintri, Infinidat and Dell EMC enterprise arrays win top honors in the Products of the Year disk and disk subsystems category for their use of flash and automation. Continue Reading
News 08 Feb 2022

IBM upgrades FlashSystem to tackle ransomware

Addressing the continuing onslaught of cyber attacks, IBM has delivered an offering that combines its FlashSystem and Cyber Vault products for fast recovery. Continue Reading
News 01 Feb 2022

NVMe-oF storage provider Pavilion Data raises $45 million

NVMe-oF startup Pavilion Data completed a series C1 funding with an additional $45 million, while keeping its focus on helping customers tackle modern workloads. Continue Reading
Feature 04 Jan 2022

Understand NVMe 2.0 specification and its related features

NVMe 2.0 added several features for storage administrators to consider, including domain support. The specification also made enhancements, such as to Endurance Group Management. Continue Reading
News 17 Dec 2021

Vast Data: New NVMe enclosures will cause HDD demise

Vast Data is using 30 TB QLC SSDs in its Universal Storage system, putting itself on par with enterprise HDDs in pricing, while bringing more performance to a smaller footprint. Continue Reading
News 16 Dec 2021

NetApp AFF A900 brings more performance to same chassis

NetApp AFF A900 adds higher efficiency, additional OnTap features and optional anti-ransomware software to the flagship array. There's also an upgrade option for A700 users. Continue Reading
News 07 Dec 2021

Pure Storage launches highest performing FlashArray//XL

Pure Storage releases FlashArray//XL, its highest performance array that completes the puzzle for on-prem customer storage. Continue Reading
News 23 Nov 2021

Kioxia releases PCIe 5.0 EDSFF SSDs

Kioxia became the first vendor to release a PCIe Gen 5.0 SSD with its new CD7 series. Still, it highlighted the EDSFF specification over beating the Gen 5 drum. Continue Reading
News 09 Nov 2021

ScaleFlux debuts SFX 3000 series and SSDs

ScaleFlux showcased its new SFX 3000 computational storage suite, including a custom chip and new SSDs with higher performance along with compression and encryption. Continue Reading
News 21 Oct 2021

StorOne adds NVMe over Fabrics

StorOne adds NVMe over Fabrics over TCP and remote direct memory access, with no hardware update needed. Continue Reading
News 21 Oct 2021

Tintri expands VMstore T7000 line for better configurability

Tintri expanded its all-NVMe VMstore T7000 line with two new appliances, supporting various use cases and configurability. Continue Reading
News 12 Oct 2021

Hitachi Vantara's new VSP 5600 hits 33 million IOPS

Hitachi Vantara launched new VSP 5000 models and added storage options to its E Series. The products may help enable storage consolidation for customers. Continue Reading
News 08 Oct 2021

Micron launches 7400 PCIe Gen 4 SSDs for data centers

Micron unveiled NVMe SSDs with seven form factors this week, all with PCIe Gen 4 performance. The new family of SSDs could take Micron deeper into the data center. Continue Reading
Opinion 04 Oct 2021

Why QLC flash adoption now benefits the enterprise

While enterprises must overcome some obstacles with QLC, there is a solid case for its use. 3D NAND has played a big part in enabling QLC use within the enterprise. Continue Reading
Feature 02 Sep 2021

Look for PCIe 5.0, NVMe 2.0 to boost storage performance

Enterprises that need high-performance storage for AI and ML workloads can keep an eye out for new products based on the latest PCIe 5.0 and NVMe 2.0 specifications. Continue Reading
Feature 01 Sep 2021

Flash memory guide to architecture, types and products

Flash memory, a staple of consumer electronics, is playing a wider role in enterprise storage. This guide offers an overview of flash, from current use cases to future directions. Continue Reading
Tip 01 Sep 2021

Performance, reliability tradeoffs with SLC vs. MLC and more

Learn the important capacity, performance and reliability differences between multilayer flash when it comes to adding SSD storage to your organization. Continue Reading
Answer 31 Aug 2021

Cache vs. RAM: Differences between the two memory types

Cache memory and RAM both place data closer to the processor to reduce latency in response times. Learn why one can be faster, along with other key variables in cache vs. RAM. Continue Reading
News 24 Aug 2021

Infinidat and Virtana bring VirtualWisdom to InfiniBox

Virtana's VirtualWisdom is now available for Infinidat's InfiniBox arrays. The software can expand to handle hybrid cloud workflows. Continue Reading
News 23 Aug 2021

Rising NAND flash prices should start to fall in 2022

Enterprise customers should see prices for NAND flash and enterprise SSDs start to fall in 2022, as flash and component shortages subside, market analysts predict. Continue Reading
Tip 05 Aug 2021

How the CXL interconnect will affect enterprise storage

The Compute Express Link standard will shake up the enterprise storage market in several significant ways. Here's what admins need to know. Continue Reading
Feature 30 Jul 2021

New HPE Alletra extends cloud console to Primera, Nimble

Hewlett Packard Enterprise's new Alletra storage brand will bear striking similarity to Primera and Nimble arrays on the operating system and management front. Continue Reading
Feature 30 Jul 2021

NVMe speeds vs. SATA and SAS: Which is fastest?

The NVMe protocol is tailor-made to make SSDs fast. Get up to speed on NVMe performance and how it compares to the SATA and SAS interfaces. Continue Reading
News 23 Jul 2021

Pure Storage adds service options for FlashStack, Portworx

Pure Storage users can now choose consumption-based pricing for FlashStack converged infrastructure and Portworx storage for containerized workloads. Continue Reading
News 20 Jul 2021

IBM FlashSystem adds storage as a service, attack protection

IBM introduces new consumption-based Storage as a Service for FlashSystem based on performance, capacity and contract term; and adds Safeguarded Copy to guard against cyberattacks. Continue Reading
News 01 Jul 2021

Micron 3D XPoint supply will end with $900M fab sale to TI

Micron's $900 million deal to sell its Utah semiconductor factory to Texas Instruments will end the plant's 3D XPoint supplies for Intel Optane memory and storage products. Continue Reading
Feature 30 Jun 2021

Boost array performance with Optane-ready products

Explore a group of Optane-ready products to improve storage performance. In addition, there are other options beyond self-managed hardware for the same purpose. Continue Reading
Feature 29 Jun 2021

Work around NVMe storage controller drive limitations

Innovation in the storage and memory market helps with the challenge of NVMe drive limits. Be sure to make the right comparisons and scale out effectively. Continue Reading
News 17 Jun 2021

Infinidat expands beyond HDDs with new all-solid-state array

Infinidat's new all-solid-state InfiniBox SSA storage array is built on the same deep-learning software and DRAM cache technology that its flagship disk-based InfiniBox models use. Continue Reading
Feature 25 May 2021

Pure Storage CEO zones in on enabling digital transformation

Pure Storage's CEO said the company will probably pursue acquisitions beyond its 2020 Portworx purchase to further assist customers in their digital transformation efforts. Continue Reading
Tip 20 May 2021

Why and how to implement NVMe power management

Understand how to use NVMe built-in power management features to conserve energy, manage heat and, in the case of mobile devices, extend operating times. Continue Reading
News 11 May 2021

Dell EMC PowerScale adds all-NVMe, Nvidia GPUDirect options

A Dell EMC PowerScale update adds a high-end all-NVMe F900 model with Nvidia GPUDirect support for AI and analytics workloads plus a OneFS 9.2 upgrade to improve performance. Continue Reading
News 30 Apr 2021

Excelero adds option to pool NVMe storage on Azure cloud

A new deployment option for Excelero's NVMesh software-defined storage will target some of the most demanding applications running on Microsoft Azure virtual machines. Continue Reading
News 22 Apr 2021

Intel breaks silence on effects of Micron's 3D XPoint exit

Intel's director of technology initiatives was surprised by Micron's exit from 3D XPoint business and confirms company's plans to have Optane on emerging CXL interface. Continue Reading
Answer 14 Apr 2021

How do data processing units support enterprise storage?

While only a small number of hardware vendors offer DPUs, the technology has significant implications for IT storage systems -- and the admins who manage them. Continue Reading
News 06 Apr 2021

New Vast Data Gemini selling model offers better economics

Vast Data now allows customers to buy integrated appliances on hardware with the capacity and performance levels of their choice, with full transparency on the hardware costs. Continue Reading
News 30 Mar 2021

Fungible computational storage eyes composable use cases

Fungible's computational storage anchors a new offering for composable infrastructure. The Fungible Data Center license allows IT teams to consume resources on demand. Continue Reading
News 24 Mar 2021

Pure Storage FlashBlade anchors B2B marketer's Azure cloud

Digital marketing specialist MultiView deployed a physical Pure Storage FlashBlade for production data, with the ability to consume all-flash storage as a virtual array in Azure. Continue Reading
News 16 Mar 2021

Micron ends 3D XPoint development to focus on CXL products

Micron ends development of 3D XPoint and shifts its focus to CXL-enabled memory products, raising questions on the future supply source of Intel's Optane memory. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Young Superwomen in Flash: What Is Their Situation?

The SuperWomen in Flash Leadership Award winner discusses key issues for women in the storage industry and young women in the industry share their professional journeys and more. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Storage for AI in 2025 and How We Got There

AI applications will become more prevalent, and storage systems will have to be designed specially to meet their needs. Discover what storage for AI will look like in 2025. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

SuperWomen in Flash Panel

SuperWomen in Flash award winners discuss their professional roles and how they got there, opportunities in the storage industry for women, and future plans. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

FMS Special Presentation: UC Santa Cruz School of Engineering

In this short presentation, learn about The Baskin School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz, their two leading storage research centers and how your organization can get involved with them. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Performance at Scale for Model Training

An AI leader explores how AI and machine learning applications are different than traditional file-based applications, performance at scale of model training and more. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

SmartNICs: The Key to High-Speed Converged Networks

The SmartNIC can improve both throughput and scalability, and can provide a variety of functions, including cybersecurity, storage functions such as deduplication and mirroring, and more. This is a discussion exploring the topic. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Getting Serious About Containers and Flash Memory

The common use of containers to speed up distributed applications is transforming data centers all over, but what is the effect on storage? Explore how containers are being used today with flash-based storage systems. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

IT Brand Pulse Awards

IT professionals were surveyed across six categories of brand leadership. Here are the vendors that IT pros selected as innovation leaders for 2020. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Next Great Breakthrough in Flash Memory

Breakthroughs in flash memory keep occurring, and advances raise density and speed and decrease costs. What will be next with flash products? Will it be multiple levels beyond QLC? Here is a panel discussion among five leaders who dig into flash technology and its future. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

SPI NAND Host-Side Error Correction

Error code correction is a key technology for maintaining reliability and extending memory longevity in SPI NAND flash. Compare integrated and host-based ECC by looking at three major areas. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Open Source Processors for Next-Generation Storage Controllers

Open source software tools are enabling a high level of innovation for storage controllers and data center architectures. Here is an introduction to storage controller SoC devices and more. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Using PM and Software-Defined Architectures to Optimize AI/ML Workloads

Explore how you can close AI, machine learning and analytics workload performance gaps using persistent memory and software-defined architectures. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Using Software to Improve the Performance and Endurance of High-Capacity SSDs

NAND flash technologies with more levels per cell deliver larger SSDs at much lower per-bit cost, but strength and performance can suffer. Here, you will find insights on how you can use machine learning and AI to enhance endurance of QLC. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Analyzing the Effects of Storage on AI Workloads

Wes Vaske, a principal storage solutions engineer, discusses some of the challenges and methods for overcoming unique challenges for architecting storage systems for AI workloads. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Using Computational Storage to Handle Big Data

Computational storage examples already in use illustrate ways to overcome bandwidth and data processing issues. Find out about other promising directions to explore for the future as well. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Hands-On Testing of Persistent Memory's Effects on Analytics Performance

What is persistent memory and how does it work? Look at the basics here, as well as a review of the Intel Optane implementation and some real-world persistent memory examples. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Flash Memory Technologies and Costs Through 2025

You will learn how flash memory technology and design changes are dramatically shifting who the cost leaders are and some of the challenges in the market. Continue Reading
Guest Post 05 Mar 2021

Flexible Computational Storage Solutions

Learn how you can simplify and provide hardware and software flexibility in computational storage architectures, the breadth of software options to unlock the benefits of computational storage and more. Continue Reading