Intel 910: PCIe-Based MLC SSD

Intel Corporation introduced the Solid-State Drive 910 Series (SSD 910 Series), an high-performing SSD to address data center storage demands driven by cloud computing, virtualization and online transactions.

It delivers accelerated storage performance, endurance and reliability critical to data center performance applications. It includes Intel High Endurance Technology and optimized MLC 25nm NAND flash memory, that allows up to 10 full drive writes a day for 5 years, or a 30x endurance improvement over its standard MLC-based flash products.

The 910 is PCIe-based and offers a post-deployment server storage upgrade that requires no changes to existing server design. It can be used in storage tiering and caching of hot files for high-performance processing and access to mission-critical data. One 910 SSD can replace multiple 15K rpm HDDs to save on space and power consumption, but also improve sequential performance and storage scalability and reduce latencies. It is built using an Intel controller and Intel SSD management firmware. The firmware is optimized for less wear and includes NAND error reduction and system error management.

"The Intel SSD 910 Series is a complete solution that delivers on all fronts: high-performance, endurance and reliability, making it ideal for replacing I/O-intensive HDDs," said Roger Peene, director of data center SSD marketing for the Intel Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group. "As a leader in SSD technology, data center IT professionals can have confidence in a tier-one, easy-to-install SSD solution backed by Intel quality, reliability and technical support."

"Supermicro works closely with leading technology companies so we can offer our customers Data Center Optimized (DCO) server solutions with the highest performance and highest efficiency," said Tau Leng, general manager of High Performance Computing at Super Micro Computer Inc. "With the Intel SSD 910, server systems can achieve higher levels of CPU utilization to take advantage of increased processing power from advanced products like the Intel Xeon Processor E5-2600 Series. This is yet another example of working with Intel to test and qualify products, so we can lower our customers’ total cost of ownership and reduce their time-to-market."

These series expands Intel’s offerings for data center applications with its first entry in the 900 family of its high performing, PCIe-based SSDs. The SSD 900 Family joins Intel’s other SSD solutions for the data center including the 700 SSD Family of SATA-based SSDs with High Endurance Technology and the SSD 300 Family of SATA SSDs for a range of server and storage applications.

Performance measures of the SSD 910 Series 800GB drive include 2GB/s sustained sequential reads and 1GB/s sequential writes; up to 180,000 4K random read IOPS and 75,000 4K random write IOPS. It comes in 400GB and 800GB capacities.

Samples are now available for data center customers to begin quality and validation cycles. General production availability is scheduled for mid-2012.

Pricing for the SSD 910 Series is $1,929 for the 400GB capacity and $3,859 for 800GB. It comes with a 5-year limited warranty.