First Look of Upcoming ScaleFlux SFX 5016 Enterprise SSD Controllers

As the IT sector continues to seek answers for scaling data processing performance while simultaneously improving efficiency – in terms of performance and density/watt, system, rack, and per dollar of Capex and Opex – ScaleFlux, Inc. is answering the call with innovative design choices in its SSD controllers. The SFX 5016 promises to set new standards both for performance and for power efficiency.

In addition to carrying forward the transparent compression feature that the company 1st released in 2020 in upgraded in 2022 with the SFX 3016 computational storage drive controller, the SFX 5016 SOC processor includes a number of design advances.

“The SFX 5016 promises to set new standards both for performance and for power efficiency, answering the call for scaling data processing performance while improving efficiency in terms of performance, density, and cost.“

First off is the upgrade from PCIe 4.0 to PCIe 5.0, doubling the host interface speed and bandwidth.
Design team also bumped up the internal buses, memory controller capability to LPDDR5, and NAND interface to enable the chip to take advantage of the faster host interface.
Porting the prior-gen architecture to the advanced 7nm process provides for power efficiency – nearly tripling the IO/s/Watt of the prior-gen.
ECC and NAND management capabilities to support multiple generations of TLC and QLC NAND from several vendors.
SFX 5016 also includes design choices that Hao Zhong, CEO, ScaleFlux, says “will provide significant advantages over other controllers for AI-centric workloads, based on our discussions with strategic customers with extensive AI deployments.”

The 1st internal samples of the SFX 5016 were delivered in late 2023. Bring-up and validation have proceeded rapidly and exceeded expectations. The company’s team utilized a firmware and silicon co-design process which enabled feature-complete firmware to be available to the silicon bring up team from day one. The chip is already achieving 14GB/s sequential read, 11GB/s sequential write, 3.300.000 random read IO/s, 750,000 random write IO/s, and low latency. Additionally, the SoC is designed to support up to 256TB of storage capacity for those needing the highest density storage solutions. The 1st-pass quality of both the SFX 3016 and SFX 5016 highlight the rapid maturation of the company’s pre-Si design and verification process.

“Achieving first pass production on a highly complex SOC once may be dismissed as lucky,” said Fei Sun, EVP engineering. “But 2x in a row is a result of teamwork and discipline.”

Zhong added: “the ability to bring first-pass silicon to production consistently enables ScaleFlux to operate efficiently and expand our portfolio. I am very proud of the team’s accomplishments.“

Sampling the controller with turnkey firmware has begun for key customers planning to build their own drives via samples of the firm’s CSD 5000 drive design.

Upcoming SFX 5016 and the currently shipping CSD 3000 series can transform data center’s efficiency and sustainability,

Future with ScaleFlux
As businesses WW grapple with the need for sustainable growth, the role of innovative solutions becomes ever more critical. The company is not merely responding to the current demand for more sustainable data processing technologies; it is actively shaping the future of the IT industry.