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Advanced semiconductor solutions specialist Micron Technology announced the launch of the P420m, a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) all-flash input/output (I/O) accelerator to improve overall performance in enterprise servers, appliances and storage platforms.
The P420m accelerates performance of data center applications, including online-transaction processing (OLTP), data warehousing and virtualization, and features ultra-low latency performance designed to enable fast and predictable response times to information frequently used in data center environments.
The P420m uses Micron’s Extended Performance and Enhanced Reliability Technology (XPERT) architecture, which incorporates the storage and controller through optimized firmware algorithms and hardware enhancements. In addition, the P420m low-profile accelerator card comes in a half-height, half-length (HHHL) form factor for rackmount servers, and the company claims it is also the industry’s first multi-level cell (MLC) PCIe solution available in a 2.5-inch form factor.
The hardware is designed using Micron’s custom-designed application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) controller, advanced 25-nanometer (nm) NAND flash technology, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), firmware and drivers to create a vertically integrated solution. The drive will be available in 350GB, 700GB and 1.4TB capacities, and Micron is currently sampling the P420m with production expected to begin in June 2013.
Micron also designed the drive to improve data transfer times and remove bandwidth bottlenecks, making it ideal for read-intensive applications, and onboard capacitors protect against power loss. The 2.5-inch hot-swappable case can be inserted or removed from the front of a server without removing the server from the rack or powering it down.
“The P420m is a true workhorse—it delivers where performance matters most,” Ed Doller, vice president and general manager of Micron’s Enterprise SSD division, said in a statement. “Introduction of the P420m is a testament to our commitment to storage innovation for all levels of integration. We’ve expanded our portfolio to address the changing storage needs of today’s data centers, regardless the workload.”
Earlier this year, the company announced another addition to its growing lineup of SSDs targeted at data center appliances and enterprise storage platforms. The Micron P410m SSD is a high-endurance, high reliability 6 Gb/s Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) drive built for mission-critical storage applications that require uninterrupted data access.
The P410m, which uses Micron’s 25nm MLC NAND flash technology, was designed with multiple features for data protection, including onboard power loss protection, is designed to achieve 10 drive fills per day for five years, and comes in 100GB, 200GB and 400GB capacities in a compact 2.5-inch 7-millimeter form factor. The drive is currently in production and is sold direct to OEMs and through Micron’s sales and distribution channels.