Marvell Adding New PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD Controller

Marvell Technology Group Ltd. announced its first native Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) SSD controller, the 88SS1093.

The controller delivers high-performance solid-state storage solutions with a flash-optimized architecture overcoming the SAS/SATA performance limitations by optimizing hardware and software to take advantage on NAND and addressing the needs of data centers and client systems that utilize next-generation PCIe 3.0 SSD storage.

The 88SS1093 also integrates Marvell’s third generation NANDEdge error-correcting, low-density parity check (LDPC) technology for higher reliability and endurance boost that was previously announced with Marvell’s fifth generation SATA SSD controller, the 88SS1074.

“As the global leader of the storage industry, we are very proud of our innovation, invention, and contribution to the advancement of a wide range of storage technologies and products. I am very excited to see that our new SSD controller solution has once again raised the technology bar with superior performance, high reliability and robust security,”said Weili Dai, president and co-founder, Marvell. “I am very proud of our close collaboration with leading tier one OEM and ODM partners around the world in enabling the rapid growth of the SSD market from client devices to data centers and enterprise systems. At Marvell, it is our pride and long term commitment to drive innovation to better lives for all in the new era of ‘Smart Life and Smart Lifestyle’.”

Supporting up to four lanes of PCIe 3.0, the 88SS1093 SSD controller is suitable for full 4GB/s or 2GB/s end points depending on host system customization and enables IO/s performance using the NVMe advanced Command Handling. In order to utilize the high-speed PCIe connection, Marvell’s NVMe design facilitates PCIe link data flows by deploying massive hardware automation without compromise. Marvell believes this efficient data flow management will alleviate the legacy host control bottlenecks and unleash the flash performance. The NVMe design has passed in-house SSD validation and third-party OS and platform compatibility testing.

Marvell’s third generation NANDEdge error-correcting, low-density parity check (LDPC) technology can support 15nm TLC and 3D NAND, resulting in low enabling cost of TLC and 3D NAND. By developing single code for NANDEdge, SSD firmware developers are able to rapidly leverage one code to the other for advanced error-correcting technology for data integrity, endurance and reliability.

Key features of 88SS1093 NVMe SSD controller include:

• Hardware automated NVMe 1.1 support
  • Command overlay and out-of-order data return to deliver the potential of NAND
  • Hardware automation on command fetch and status return
• 15nm TLC/MLC/SLC and 3D NAND support with Marvell NANDEdge LDPC error correction control and management
• Tri-core CPU architecture to support high performance requirements
• SRIS capabilities to support SATA Express running PCIe 3.0 speed for the first time
• Up to 2TB support
• M.2/2.5 slim form factor support with thermal optimization and small package size
• New low-power management(L1.2) design
• 28nm CMOS process

The 88SS1093 is sampling to leading customers.

Marvell believes its NVMe SSD controllers will be a solution for next generation of high-performance SSD for client platforms coming in 2015 as well as today’s hyperscale data center applications.