ScaleFlux debuts SFX 3000 series and SSDs
ScaleFlux demoed its new SFX 3000 storage processing units, which are used in its bigger efficiency computational storage drives, at this week’s Open up Compute Project World wide Summit in San Jose, Calif.
The seller has additional encryption and programmable cores to the new 3000 series while maintaining characteristics from its 2000 series these types of as clear compression. ScaleFlux is applying the SFX 3000 in its expanded SSD line the CSD 3000, a bigger carrying out computational travel, and the NSD 3000, the vendor’s initial NVMe SSD for far more normal use.
The seller also released the CSP 3000 accelerator card to deliver computational storage characteristics to current drives, and CSAware computer software, which will give end users a bigger degree of customization around ScaleFlux products.
Computational storage moves compute into the storage travel, closer to wherever the data resides. Performing so lowers latency by shortening the distance among the processor and the data, offloads CPU-intensive processes like compression and encryption to the processor in the travel, and offloads software processes to the travel CPU, Marc Staimer, president of Dragon Slayer Consulting, wrote in an short article.
Randy Kerns, a senior analyst at Evaluator Team, reported that the desire for computational storage, a small current market when in contrast to SSDs in general, is growing, especially for large-efficiency computing and specialized apps these types of as artificial intelligence and equipment discovering.
“Computational storage is a establishing space,” Kerns reported. “It has some extremely fascinating large value use instances now, and it really is going to increase.”
SFX 3000 series
ScaleFlux’s most recent generation computational storage processor is a custom designed software-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), as opposed to the subject-programmable gate array (FPGA) that was in the product or service for the 2000 series, according JB Baker, vice president of marketing at ScaleFlux.
The ASIC has 4 principal pieces: the controller, the hardware engines, the CPU, and the interface, which is now PCIe Gen four. Creating the ASIC in-home authorized ScaleFlux to incorporate encryption and programmable cores.
The sixteen-channel Flash controller has standard SSD capabilities, a path from the host to the storage. The controller is also wherever its clear storage compression/decompression comes about. The compression is automated and generates less data to shop, which boosts efficiency and endurance while using pressure off the host CPU. Details encryption/decryption also comes about in the controller to present additional data defense, while relieving the program CPU.
Hardware engines accomplish compression and encryption offloading, writing it somewhere other than right to storage. Moving these data-intensive tasks absent from main storage features is a single of the methods the product or service boosts efficiency, Baker reported.
There are eight programmable ARM cores in the CPU, configured into two quad-main clusters, with up to sixteen GB of DRAM.
Ultimately, the PCIe Gen four interface delivers bigger efficiency. The interface is PCIe 4×4/x8 supporting up to eight PCIe lanes and solitary and dual port drives.
New SSD selections
The new line of SSDs that ScaleFlux rolled out are developed on the SFX 3000.
The new flagship computational storage SSD is the CSD 3000, which gives far more than twice the endurance and efficiency in contrast to other enterprise NVMe SSDs at the exact capacities, according to ScaleFlux. It comes in the standard form things together with U.2, HHHL AIC, and E.1x alongside with enterprise-quality four TB, 8 TB and sixteen TB of raw ability.
The CSD 3000 is available with the two TLC and QLC NAND. Baker reported the QLC provides density and value advancement. With the compression engines and controller, ScaleFlux has noticed QLC — typically outperformed by TLC in endurance, go through and generate efficiency and latency — accomplish as very well as TLC.
Kerns echoed Baker’s position, stating most issues with QLC, especially endurance, have been dealt with in the very last calendar year.
Available in three.eighty four TB and seven.sixty eight TB mounted capacities, the NSD 3000 has the efficiency and endurance positive aspects of the CSD 3000 but not the other features of computational storage, these types of as the programmable cores. ScaleFlux claims two occasions the efficiency and endurance in mixed go through and generate workloads and random generate workloads in contrast to identical class drives.
ScaleFlux also unveiled its CSP 3000, an accelerator card that permits SFX 3000 computational storage processors to be used with any drives, not just ScaleFlux products, Baker reported. All eight processing cores are programmable for user apps, because there is no storage on the card to manage. The CSP can break up the PCIe x8 into two x4, 4 lanes hook up to the server host and the other 4 lanes hook up to a coprocessor or FPGA to even further boost compute capabilities.
Continue to in progress, the ScaleFlux CSAware computer software could make it much easier for end users to acquire gain of the hardware in the drives and accelerator card. Baker reported the corporation is however gathering enter from end users, but CSAware will have computer software RAID an optimized KV shop that works by using the compression to take in less host DRAM for bigger efficiency and optimizations to the B-tree to cut down generate amplification without having sacrificing storage value or efficiency.
Kerns reported the CSAware computer software provides value by exploiting the features of the ScaleFlux ASIC, enabling end users to customise apps that benefit from the processors in computational storage, he reported.
Place in the current market and pricing
ScaleFlux reported the CSD 3000 drives will arrive at a high quality, and the NSD 3000 will be competitively priced to identical enterprise NVMe SSDs. The compression talents will increase ability in the units, reducing the in general data storage value, according to Baker.
But value just isn’t the only overhead electricity usage and heat generation are also things to look at. Baker reported the new drives keep within the electricity envelopes of the supplied form things and use less electricity for every I/O, relying on saved electricity in the controller.
