FMS: PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe SSD Controllers and Solutions From Phison

Phison Electronics Corp. shipping PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe SSD solutions, and is ushering in a new era for applications expected to meet the demand for increasingly faster and higher-definition digital experiences.

The PCIe 4.0 standard offers double the data transfer rate over the prior PCIe 3.0 version. The increased data transfer rate, signal reliability and integrity of PCIe Gen4 enables technology solutions providers with the ability to deliver greater performance, additional flexibility and lower latency to applications including PC, gaming, mobile, storage and networking.

“There is continued pressure in the industry to improve the performance of computing systems to support the applications that end users are most interested in. PCIe 4.0 offers manufacturers a way to meet these consumer demands,” said Chris Kilburn, corporate VP and GM, client channel, AMD. “AMD is delighted to work with Phison to raise the bar by introducing first-to-market solutions. Through sound engineering and design, we are working together to deliver the experiences our customers demand.“

According Sumit Puri, CEO and co-founder, Liqid, Inc.: “PCIe Gen4 will unleash the performance capabilities required for next generation data centric applications, including AI and 5G edge computing. The LQD4500 provides 32TB of capacity and a PCIe Gen4x16 interface that enables over 24GB/s of throughput and 4 million IO/s. This impressive performance is only possible by aggregating multiple Phison E16 NVMe controllers into a single device. The Phison E16 provides industry leading performance, capacity and NVMe features required to build the PCIe Gen4 enabled data center of the future. Liqid is excited that the Phison E16 is now powering the fastest storage in the world, the LQD4500.“

Whereas others have yet to debut their Gen4 solutions, the company has developed a package of products to address multiple sockets within the consumer space.

Among portfolio of PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe products currently available or planned for release within next year:

• PS5016-E16 – High-end controller that can reach speeds of 5GB/s sequential reads and 4.4GB/s sequential writes, fast sequential reads and writes for a single M.2 SSD

• PS5019-E19T – Offering low power controllers for mainstream drives, delivering power savings and reducing cooling needs in data centers for all-day computing (available 4Q19)

• PS5018-E18 – Builds on the E16 to deliver higher levels of performance with speeds of 7GB/s reads and writes (available 2Q20) in advance 12nm process node.

The entire portfolio of the firm’s PCIe Gen4 solutions is designed for quality by providing end-to-end data path protection, dynamic SLC cache support and integrated security support for the latest encryption standards.

The company’s PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe controllers are currently shipping in a number of technology partners’ products, enabling them to differentiate their own solutions. These solutions provide users with advances in 8K high-definition gaming capabilities, high-performance computing, AI, ML and others.

“After several years since the announcement of the standard, the era of PCIe 4.0 solutions is upon us and Phison is at the forefront of this movement with our portfolio of Gen4x4 solutions,” said K.S. Pua, CEO, Phison. “We pride ourselves with our long history of innovation supporting emerging technologies. From doubling transfer rates, to improving power consumption to increasing performance, Phison-based SSD solutions allow our integration partners to deliver the next-generation PC, gaming and storage systems needed to satisfy increasing consumer demand.“

At FMS, the company has showcased its lineup of PCIe Gen4 SSD solutions, including the public debut of its E19 controller.