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Software-Enabled Flash™ |
An open source technology
KIOXIA in collaboration with the Linux Foundation
has founded a new open source project, the Software-Enabled Flash project. The mission of this project is to develop open source Software-Enabled Flash technology APIs, applications and libraries to support flash storage devices in hyperscale data centers. KIOXIA, the inventor of Software-Enabled Flash, created this project as a dedicated place for open collaboration between flash vendors, controller developers, drive manufacturers, and storage developers. Learn more at the Software-Enabled Flash project.
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Software-Enabled Flash™ Technology
Hyperscalers are looking to evolve and redefine the use of flash memory in their data centers. What is needed to accelerate this trend are tools that leverage the native speed and flexibility of flash memory, coupled with the ease of software-defined storage.
Software-Enabled Flash™ (SEF) technology supports this emerging paradigm by fundamentally redefining the relationship between the host and solid-state storage. Software-Enabled Flash technology consists of purpose-built, media-centric flash hardware focused on hyperscaler requirements, with an open source API and libraries to provide the functionality hyperscalers demand.
Simply put: Software-Enabled Flash technology brings software flexibility and scalability to flash memory.
Overhead from Traditional Industry Solutions
- Firmware induced ‘long tail latency’
- DRAM buffers
- Device-level RAID
- Overprovisioning limiting capacity
- Device-level power protection
Challenges of Current HDD Driven Approach
- Legacy of HDD paradigms for storage
- Fixed functionality by the standards
- IO blender approach to block and wear leveling creates tenant workload conflicts
- Limits flash memory to fit the standards used
Software-Enabled Flash Technology
- Enables host to control latency optimizations
- Offers DRAM, no-DRAM and hybrid solutions
- RAID becomes a host control decision
- Gives access to full capacity of each flash memory die
- Power loss protection option
- API delivers needed tools to adapt flash memory at the speed developers require
- Sheds the legacy HDD paradigm
- Adapt single IO or multiple IO modes
- Die-level workload isolation that also enables multiple IO modes to run simultaneously
- Maximizes flash memory flexibility, scalability, performance, parallelism and speed
Open Source API and Libraries Accelerate and Ease Innovation in Hyperscale Storage
- Delivers on the promise of storage developed at the speed of software
- The API gives Hyperscale developers tools and freedom to innovate and customize according to their needs
- Accelerate flash memory development time to create a competitive advantage
- Free to use, adapt and develop to flash storage requirements
- Flash-native API puts all the tools in the hands of storage developers
Purpose-Built Hardware
- Abstracts flash memory type, generation changes and vendor differences
- Delivers host control and CPU offload functions
- Designed for flexible DRAM configurations
- Extends flash memory health, life and endurance
Documents and Videos
Documents
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KIOXIA has developed many “world-first” technologies, such as NAND flash memory and created innovation. As a leading company in “memory,” KIOXIA will continue to work on cutting-edge research and development to create innovation.
