Virtium TuffDrive M.2 USB 3.1 Line of SSDs for Industrial-Embedded Applications

Virtium LLC introduced the TuffDrive M.2 USB line of SSDs that bring endurance, low-power, small-form-factor solid-state storage to industrial-embedded applications.

These SSDs enable designers to take advantage of USB 3.1’s widespread host support and connect M.2 form factor drives to host systems lacking the SATA storage interface. The drives provide cost-effective, secure storage to a range of uses that require lower capacities, such as OS boot, code and application storage, virtualization, and light data logging.

The TuffDrive SSDs leverage the M.2 2242 form factor (22x42mm) and USB 3.1 to achieve small-footprint solid-state storage connected to host systems via a common, cost-effective interface. That combination reduces power consumption, and thus heat generation, compared to SATA-SSD storage. It also lowers electromagnetic interference (EMI), making the SSDs a viable option for medical, telecommunications and other EMI-sensitive applications, as well as for densely populated circuit boards. Additionally, these drives’ integrity M.2-to-USB 3.1 connection enables shock and vibration resistance superior to designs using alternative form factors and interfaces.

“Virtium is bringing to market the lowest-power, highest-reliability, M.2-compliant USB drives,” said Scott Phillips, VP, marketing. “Our engineers took a highly creative approach in developing an SSD line that leverages a form factor proven in embedded-industrial designs and a widely used, highly efficient interface. This achievement is particularly important for designers designing with IIoT SSDs and have to work with host systems that lack SATA, while still requiring lower power and heat.“

“By combining the ubiquitous USB interface with the small form factor of the M.2 SSD, Virtium makes it easy for embedded-industrial systems designers to extend Flash storage into new applications,” said Alan Niebel, president, WebFeet Research, and author of the 2018 Non-Volatile Memory Market Shares by Vendor Report. “The drives’ high endurance, low power and cost-effectiveness empower those designers with solid-state storage providing secure storage in demanding designs.“

The hot-pluggable TuffDrive M.2 USB line is designed with lower-capacity applications in mind; the embedded SSDs lower power requirements and generate less heat than SATA drives, and also reduce system bill-of-materials outlays because those applications call for relatively low capacities. The drives are available with endurance options and supported by the company’s vtGuard power-fail protection, vtView industrial SSD software, for drive monitoring, and value-added service and support that includes ten-plus years of product availability and in-field integration support. Additionally, the firm offers optional AES-256 self-encryption for the TuffDrive M.2 USB line, as encrypted SSDs with this feature provide greater protection for data at rest than drives without it.

The TuffDrive M.2 USB SSDs are sampling now and have been qualified by select company’s customers.