The artificial intelligence (AI) market continues to heat up, with emerging applications driving a surge in demand for storage chips DRAM and NAND, while also setting new requirements.
Recently, the global storage conference FMS 2024 (the Future of Memory and Storage) was held, where numerous topics in the field of storage and cutting-edge technologies were showcased. Among them, four senior analysts from TrendForce, a market research firm, conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), NAND, and servers, clarifying the future development direction of the storage industry.
In addition, at the conference, the NVM Express organization released the NVMe 2.1 specification during the meeting, further unifying storage architecture and simplifying the development process. Also, the release of new high-capacity, high-performance NAND products by companies such as Kioxia, Micron, SK Hynix and its subsidiary Solidigm, Western Digital, Silicon Motion, Phison Electronics, and Microchip has attracted industry attention. Moreover, recently, South Korean semiconductor measurement equipment manufacturer Oros Technology and Lam Research have introduced equipment for upgrading NAND stacking technology, providing support for the storage industry from the upstream equipment end.
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Industry Focus: Release of NVMe 2.1 Specification
At the FMS 2024 Storage Summit, NVM Express officially released the NVMe 2.1 specification, which includes three new specifications and updates to the existing eight specifications. The organization hopes that the new specifications will better unify storage across AI, cloud, client, and enterprise domains. This update to NVMe technology builds on previous NVMe specifications, introducing important new features for modern computing environments, while also simplifying the development process and shortening the time to market.The three new specifications released this time are: NVMe Boot specification, Subsystem Local Memory Command Set, and Compute Program Command Set.
The eight updated and revised specifications are as follows: NVMe 2.1 Base Specification, Command Set Specification (NVM Command Set, ZNS Command Set, Key-Value Command Set), Transport Specification (PCIe Transport, FC Transport, RDMA Transport, and TCP Transport), and NVMe Management Interface Specification.
The main new features brought by this update are as follows:
Support for real-time migration of PCIe NVMe controllers between NVM subsystems.
A new host-directed data placement feature for solid-state drives, which simplifies ecosystem integration and is backward compatible with previous NVMe specifications.
Support for offloading part of the host processing to NVMe storage devices.
Network boot mechanism for NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF).Support NVMe over Fabrics partitioning.
Provide the function of host management encryption keys, and achieve highly granular encryption through "Key Per I/O".
Security enhancement features, such as support for TLS 1.3, centralized authentication entity with DH-HMAC-CHAP, and media verification after covert processing.
Management enhancement features, including support for high-availability out-of-band management, management via I3C, out-of-band management asynchronous events, and dynamically creating exported NVM subsystems from the physical resources of the underlying NVM subsystem.
New flash memory technologies are emerging one after another.
Kioxia showcases the latest optical interface SSDs.
At the FMS 2024 summit, Kioxia demonstrated a solid-state drive (SSD) with an optical interface. By integrating an optical interface, the new SSD technology offers greater physical flexibility and scalability in data center design, which helps to improve energy efficiency and signal integrity.It is reported that Kioxia's new SSD allows for a substantial physical separation between computing and storage devices. This design flexibility reduces the complexity and volume of traditional wiring, and supports enhanced system designs tailored to specific workloads. By decoupling components such as SSDs and CPUs, data centers can allocate resources more effectively according to demand. This optimization improves the performance of various applications, including HPC environments, supercomputers, and cloud-based HPC systems.
According to the demonstration materials of its presentation slides, the chip supports optical connections over short distances (about 40 meters), with future plans to extend to 100 meters. Therefore, the SSD can be placed in an environment away from CPUs and GPUs, thus avoiding the high temperatures generated by these heat sources, ensuring the SSD operates at optimal temperature. This technology can also be switched via optical signals, meaning that bandwidth can be aggregated, devices shared, and the distance between the SSD and the host server can be extended through optical switches.
It is known that the development of Kioxia's optical interface SSD is the result of joint efforts by several industry leaders, including Fujitsu, NEC Corporation, AIO Core, Fujitsu Optical Components, and Kyocera Corporation. Kioxia is also currently developing optical interconnect SSDs for PCIe Gen8 or higher versions.
Earlier, on August 1st, Kioxia announced that its Fab 2 (K2) factory located in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, was completed in July. It is known that K2 is the second NAND flash memory manufacturing factory in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, and it is planned to start operations at K2 in the fall of 2025.According to South Korean media reports, South Korean semiconductor measurement equipment manufacturer Oros Technology has begun supplying stacked measurement equipment OL-1000n to the KaiXia BeiShang factory since July. This is the sixth generation of overlapping measurement equipment released by the company, with a performance increase of 10-15% compared to the fifth generation equipment, mainly used for NAND layer measurement.
Micron releases the latest PCIe 6.0 SSD and the ninth generation NAND flash memory technology SSD solid state drive.
Micron recently announced the successful development of the industry's first PCIe 6.0 data center solid state drive for ecological support, and showcased this new product at the FMS 2024 summit.
It is reported that the PCIe 6.0 SSD released by Micron Technology this time belongs to its 9550 NVMe SSD series. The particles and main control are unknown, and the sequential read rate reaches 26GB/s, which is an increase of 85.7% compared to the 14GB/s sequential read rate of the 9550 series PCIe 5.0 data center solid state drive released on July 23. It is twice the read speed of the general market products.Additionally, on July 31st, Micron announced that its solid-state drive (SSD) products using ninth-generation NAND flash memory technology have begun shipping. In terms of performance, Micron's G9 NAND technology offers a data transfer rate of up to 3.6 GB/s, providing exceptional data read and write bandwidth. This new NAND technology is suitable for personal devices, edge servers, and enterprise and cloud data centers. Like the previous generation of NAND products, Micron's ninth-generation NAND adopts a compact packaging of 11.5mm x 13.5mm, saving 28% of space compared to similar products.
Hynix may mass-produce 400-layer NAND Flash next year
Hynix showcased at this year's Flash Memory Summit (FMS) 2024, including samples of the 12-layer HBM3E, which is expected to be mass-produced in the third quarter, and the 321-layer NAND next-generation AI storage products, which are planned to start shipping in the first half of next year. At the FMS held in 2023, Hynix stated that the production efficiency of the 321-layer product is 59% higher than its 238-layer predecessor, and plans to achieve mass production in the first half of 2025.
According to a report by the South Korean media outlet etnews, industry insiders have revealed that Hynix is developing 400-layer NAND Flash, working with small and medium-sized partners to develop related process technologies and equipment, with plans to achieve mass production by the end of 2025 and large-scale production in the first half of 2026. The report also mentioned that Hynix's new 400+ layer stacked NAND flash memory will adopt a completely different overall structure from the existing "4D NAND."
Public information shows that Hynix's current 4D NAND uses PUC (PeriUnder Cell, peripheral under the cell) technology, placing peripheral control circuits under the storage cells, which can reduce chip space compared to the more traditional side-mounted peripheral circuit design. Hynix's future NAND will manufacture peripheral circuits and storage cells on two separate wafers, and then use W2W (wafer-to-wafer) hybrid bonding technology to integrate these two parts into a complete flash memory.Regarding this news, SK Hynix stated that the company cannot comment on specific plans for technology development or mass production periods.
Solidigm Launches PCIe 5.0 Data Center Solid State Drives D7-PS1010/1030
On August 6, Solidigm announced the launch of the new generation D7-level data center solid state drives D7-PS1010 and D7-PS1030. Both of these solid state drive series support PCIe 5.0 and are based on SK Hynix's 176-layer 3D TLC NAND flash memory.
It is reported that the D7-PS1010 belongs to the standard endurance (1DWPD) level model, offering four capacity versions of 1.92TB, 3.84TB, 7.68TB, and 15.36TB. The D7-PS1030 is a mid-endurance model at the 3DWPD level, offering four capacity versions of 1.6TB, 3.2TB, 6.4TB, and 12.8TB. Among them, the maximum capacity of 12.8TB can reach a total write amount of about 70TB.In terms of performance, the D7-PS1010/1030 series can achieve sequential read speeds of up to 14,500 MB/s, and models with a capacity of 6.4TB and above can reach sequential write speeds of 9,300MB/s. The highest random read performance of 3,100K IOPS is found on the 3.84TB version of the D7-PS1010 and the 3.2TB version of the D7-PS1030. The random write capabilities of the D7-PS10X0 are closely related to the product line: the 6.4TB and 12.8TB D7-PS1030 can achieve 800K IOPS of random write performance, while the 7.68TB D7-PS1010 can reach 400K IOPS.
As a newer bus interface standard, PCIe 6.0 has seen a significant increase in transfer speeds compared to the previous generation. However, it is unfortunate that this consumer-grade PCIe Gen 6 solid-state drive will still take some time to be released. Recently, the organization responsible for setting the PCI Express specifications, PCI-SIG, provided the latest progress on PCIe 6.0 at the 2024 developer conference, stating that the initial conformance tests for PCIe 6.0 were originally scheduled to start in March of this year but have been postponed to the second quarter. Currently, there are no consumer platforms that support PCIe Gen 6; for example, the latest motherboards from Intel and AMD can only use PCIe Gen 5 solid-state drives.
In addition, industry news indicates that SK Hynix is considering promoting NAND flash memory and solid-state drive subsidiary Solidigm for an IPO in the United States. It is reported that SK Hynix announced the acquisition of Intel's NAND and SSD business in October 2020, and Solidigm was established as an independent U.S. subsidiary after SK Hynix completed the first phase of the acquisition at the end of 2021. In response, SK Hynix stated: "Solidigm is studying various development plans, but no decision has been made yet."
Western Digital announces the completion of a 128TB ultra-large capacity SSD
Western Digital announced the completion of a 128TB ultra-large capacity SSD, more precisely, an eSSD, at the FMS 2024 Storage Summit, targeting enterprise-level AI data storage applications. It is expected to be released after 2025, and Western Digital revealed that it is expected to achieve 256TB by 2027, and 1PB in the distant future. The official model, performance, and other related details have not yet been disclosed.Additionally, Western Digital demonstrated on-site the eighth-generation BiCS8 NAND flash memory developed jointly by Western Digital and Toshiba, as well as mainstream PCIe Gen5 NVMe™ SSD products suitable for artificial intelligence computers, gaming devices, laptops, and other mobile client computers.
For the automotive field, Western Digital has newly launched the automotive-grade storage solution AT EN610, designed to meet the rigorous demands of the next generation of high-performance centralized computing (HPCC) architecture. The AT EN610 adopts high-capacity TLC flash memory and provides users with the flexible option of configuring all or part of the storage space as a high-endurance SLC mode. The AT EN610 uses an M.2 1620 BGA package and has a storage capacity of up to 1TB. Western Digital's AT EN610 product is now available for sampling.
Western Digital AT EN610 NVMe™ SSD
Microchip Microchip Launches PCIe Gen5 SSD Controller
On August 5, Microchip Microchip launched the Flashtec NVMe 5016 SSD data center-level solid-state drive controller, which supports PCIe 5.0 and can be configured as a single x4 port or dual x2 port mode.
The Flashtec NVMe 5016 is equipped with 16 independent flash memory channels, compatible with various NAND flash from SLC to QLC, supporting up to 3200MT/s flash memory interface rates, and supporting up to 4 Ranks of DDR5-5200 for external caching. This controller can achieve a sequential read rate of 14GB/s, and the random read also reaches 3500K IOPS. At the same time, it only requires 1W of power to support a transfer rate of over 2.5GB/s, providing higher bandwidth with lower energy consumption.Additionally, this new main controller also complies with the NVMe 2.0+ protocol and supports advanced features such as ZNS (Zoned Namespace) and FDP (Flexible Data Placement), which can further reduce the write amplification factor WAF.
Silicon Motion Technology Launches PCIe Gen5 SSD Controller
On August 7th, Silicon Motion Technology (SIMO) announced the industry's first PCIe Gen 5 SSD controller, the SM2508, which uses TSMC's 6-nanometer EUV process, and showcased it at the FMS 2024 conference. This main controller chip is specifically designed for AI PCs and gaming consoles, offering up to 50% energy efficiency reduction compared to competitors' products with a 12-nanometer process.
Official data shows that the SM2508 SSD controller supports eight NAND channels, with a channel speed of up to 3600MT/s, providing a sequential read and write speed of up to 14.5 GB/s and a random performance of 2.5M IOPS. It is reported that compared to PCIe Gen 4 products, its performance has doubled, while power consumption is controlled within 7W, and mass production is expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year.
Phison Launches E29T Consumer Main Controller and Pascari Enterprise Solid State Drive Product LinePhison demonstrated its new consumer-grade PCIe 4.0 controller PS5029-E29T for the first time at the FMS 2024 summit, as well as its Pascari enterprise-grade solid-state drive (SSD) product line. This product line includes the high-performance focused X series, the data center-oriented D series, the system boot drive B series, the traditional server storage upgrade S series, and the AI series.
Phison stated that the PS5029-E29T is a PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD controller optimized for the latest NAND flash memory technology. The E29T features a DRAM-less design, is based on TSMC's 12nm process, and is equipped with an ARM Cortex R5 CPU core. It has four flash memory channels, supports 16CE, and is compatible with a flash memory interface speed of 3600MT/s, with a maximum capacity of up to 8TB. In terms of performance, the SSD based on the E29T controller can achieve sequential read and write speeds of 7400MB/s and 6800MB/s, respectively, and random read and write performance can both reach 1.2 million IOPS.
The X series in the Pascari enterprise-grade SSD product line, the X200 family, was introduced earlier. At this summit, Phison also launched two PCIe 4.0 products, the X100P and X100E, with 1DWPD and 3DWPD, respectively, both with a maximum capacity of up to 32TB. The X100P and X100E can both achieve sequential read and write speeds of 7400/6900 MB/s, and random read performance can reach 1750K IOPS for both. The random write speed of the X100P can reach 190K IOPS, while the X100E is even higher, reaching 470K IOPS.
The D series SSD includes the 1DWPD model D100P with a PCIe 4.0 interface available in U.2, M.2, and E1.S form factors, and the D200 family with PCIe 5.0, which includes the D200V and two other products, the D200P and D200E, both in E1.S form factor, with a maximum capacity of up to 4TB and nominal performance lower than the X200 family products.
The B series focuses on reliability and I/O stability. The two products, BA50P and B100P, use SATA III and PCIe 4.0 x4 interfaces, respectively, with a maximum capacity of only 960GB. In terms of durability, both are rated at 1DWPD.The S series from Phison has introduced three models of the SA50 family of SATA interface solid-state drives (SSDs), all of which are only available in the 2.5-inch form factor. The maximum capacity of the SA50V is greater than that of the SA50P, and the maximum capacity of the SA50P is greater than that of the SA50E. However, the endurance levels are reversed, with SA50E > SA50P > SA50A, where the SA50A has a write endurance of only 0.4 DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day).
The AI series only offers the AI100E model. The distinctive feature of this product is its ultra-high write endurance of 100 DWPD. This SSD uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface and is available in two form factors: M.2 2280 and U.2 15mm. It comes in capacities of 1TB and 2TB. The Phison AI100E achieves sequential read/write speeds of up to 7200/6500 MB/s, and random read/write speeds can reach 1000K IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second).
Lam Research has introduced a new low-temperature etching technology that paves the way for 1000-layer 3D NAND.
In addition to the aforementioned storage manufacturers, the internationally renowned equipment manufacturer Lam Research has recently launched Lam CryoTM 3.0. This is the third generation of Lam Research's low-temperature dielectric etching technology, which has been production-proven and paves the way for its customers to move towards 1,000-layer 3D NAND. As the proliferation of artificial intelligence continues to drive the demand for storage with higher capacity and performance, Lam Cryo 3.0 provides the key etching capabilities for manufacturing future cutting-edge 3D NAND. Utilizing ultra-low temperatures, high power-limited plasma reactor technology, and surface chemistry innovation, Lam Cryo 3.0 etches with industry-leading precision and profile control.
According to Lam Research, 5 million wafers have already been manufactured using Lam's low-temperature etching technology, marking a breakthrough in the field of 3D NAND production. The new technology can create high aspect ratio (HAR) features with angstrom-level precision while reducing the environmental impact, and the etching rate is more than twice that of traditional dielectric processes. Lam Cryo 3.0 has been launched for leading storage manufacturers.So far, 3D NAND has mainly made progress by stacking vertical storage cell layers, which can be achieved by etching deep and narrow HAR storage channels. These features with slight atomic-level deviations from the target profile can negatively affect the chip's electrical performance and may impact yield. Lam Cryo 3.0 has been optimized to address these defects and other etching challenges.
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