SandForce gets SMART

An SSD controller design win, not a tiny company car

By Chris Mellor • Get more from this author

Posted in Enterprise, 24th September 2009 12:26 GMT

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SandForce's enterprise flash disk controller is going to be used by SMART for its enterprise flash drives.

SMART Modular Technologies is a supplier of DRAM, SRAM, and Flash memory in various form factors. It aims to produce an EFD - an Enterprise Flash Drive - that would compete with STEC, Intel, and now Pliant, for storage array supplier business as a drop-in hard disk drive replacement.

SandForce is a start-up developing a controller for such EFDs, but not a complete EFD product.

Specifically, SMART "has selected the SandForce SF-1500 solid-state drive (SSD) processor for use in its next-generation enterprise-class XceedIOPS SATA SSDs." It adds: "The SF-1500 [supports the] use of cost-effective multi-level cell (MLC) technology in enterprise storage systems."

SMART cites IDC as expecting world-wide shipments of SSDs in the enterprise market to exceed 4.4 million units in 2013, representing a CAGR of 154 per cent from 2008-2013*.

SMART XceedIOPS SATA SSDs, using the SandForce SF-1500 SSD processor, will be sampling in both 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch form factors later this year. ®

* IDC, Worldwide Solid State Drive 2009–2013 Forecast and Analysis, Doc #218553, June 2009.

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