Samsung Launches Next-Gen Data Center SSD Line

Samsung has launched a line of high-performance SATA enterprise solid state drives.

With planar NAND flash reaching scaling limits, the move to new technologies is picking up steam. Intel and Micron announced new 3D NAND drives a few months ago, and SanDisk launched a 4TB enterprise SSD in May.

Samsung's next-generation 3-bit PM863 and 2-bit SM863 6Gbps data center SSD models were introduced earlier in the year at CES and are now generally available. Samsung said they deliver faster speeds and improved reliability in much higher capacities, as well as greater power efficiency, in order to support the heavy demands placed on the data center.

Thanks to Samsung's 3-bit V-NAND technology the new data center SSDs are able to achieve impressive densities in the 2.5-inch form factor. PM863 models add 1.9TB and 3.8TB capacities to the line, with read speeds up to 540 MB/s, according to the company. The SM863 model has up to 1.9TB capacities and features read speeds up to 520 MB/s and write speeds up to 485 MB/s. Samsung began production for its V-NAND line last year at its 2.5 million-square-foot facility in Xi'an, China.

Samsung's V-NAND differs slightly from the 3D NAND approaches from Intel and Micron's (floating gate design) or Toshiba and SanDisk's (Bit Cost Scaling).