Intel Announces the 'World's Densest' SSD (zdnet.com)

Intel has unveiled its new 3D NAND solid-state drive (SSD) "ruler" form factor storage for data-center servers. From a report: The chip giant first set out this form factor a year ago, based on the Enterprise & Datacenter Storage Form Factor (EDSFF) standard for server makers to cut cooling costs and offer a more efficient format than SSDs in the classic 2.5 inch size. Intel describes the new ruler-shaped Intel SSD DC P4500, which is 12 inches by 1.5 inches, and a third of an inch thick, as the world's densest SSD. Server makers can jam up to one petabyte (PB) -- or a thousand terabytes (TB) -- of data into 1U server racks by lining up 32 of these 32TB Intel rulers together. So, instead of the decades-old 2.5-inch square SSD drives inherited from and designed for disk-based storage, Intel now has long and skinny sticks, thanks to flash. The new shape allows it to optimize SSD storage density, cooling, and power for data centers.

Comments

How meny pci-e lanes and will AMD cpus work better

[Joe_Dragon]

How many pci-e lanes per card? and will AMD cpus work better then intel due to having more lanes to work with?

Now with ceph I want to have 5-9 smaller ones per node + 10G (or more networking)

Re:Can you imagine...

[Anonymous Coward]

you'll need it and its processing power to calculate the patent royalties needed for someone other than intel to manufacture these.

Changing the way storage is delivered.

[GregMmm]

This could be a real changer for data center deployments. There is not reason why we have the 2.5" form factor anymore. There's no more spinning disks inside. So if storage is still in a rack, utilize the depth of the 1U system better. Blade centers or dedicated storage arrays. Also, why not have disks plugging in the front and back of the 1U system.

This might not catch on, but being first in line is a good place to be. Wow, Intel still has some engineers, who haven't been let go, who can imagine something new.

Re:Changing the way storage is delivered.

[Junta]

Note that it actually quite common now to have drives that go into the front and the back. For these 12" long suckers, that's unlikely and having that volume of NAND chips all front serviceable without a tray would be one point of these things. 12" is however a bit *too* long for reasonable 1U servers. 6" depth might have been a pretty sweet spot, not much longer than 3.5" drives. As such this form factor pretty much requires the design of the server to be focused on the storage to the exclusion of other concerns.

Re:How meny pci-e lanes and will AMD cpus work bet

[Junta]

It is designed for 1U servers that would be designed for it. That's the rub. Yes, they made them 1U wide, and a depth that in theory can fit with processors and dimms. However there isn't leftovers for other things.

Front cabled systems with front drives also could work (albeit without being able to cram in 32 drives, but that's fine...), but front cabling isn't too popular...

Re:How meny pci-e lanes and will AMD cpus work bet

[ctilsie242]

One good thing about it is the length gives significantly more surface area for cooling than a 2.5" form factor does. With more of the server chassis in contact with the SSD, it can mean better heat removal, which definitely will help with component life.

Hopefully there will be half-length form factors for workstations.

Re:How meny pci-e lanes and will AMD cpus work bet

[rogoshen1]

you'd be trying to cool a completely busted and ruined SSD -- i mean go ahead, but i don't see the point.

as "reliable" as 1.92TB Intel® SSD DC S4500?

[citizenr]

and when I say reliable I mean half dead after few months, rest in the process of dying.