Intel has officially unveiled the Intel SSD DC P4510 and P4511 Series of SSDs for data center applications. They are using 64-layer TLC Intel 3D NAND, with the P4511 Series to come in the space-saving Enterprise and Datacenter SSD Form Factor (EDSFF).

The P4510 Series enables up to four times more terabytes per server and delivers up to 10 times better random read latency at 99.99 percent quality of service than previous generations. The drive can also deliver up to double the input-output operations per second (IOPS) per terabyte. The 1 and 2TB capacities have been shipping to cloud service providers (CSPs) in high volume since August 2017, and the 4 and 8TB capacities are now available to Intel's CSPs and channel customers. All capacities are in the 2.5-inch 15 mm U.2 form factor and utilize a PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 connection.

To accelerate performance and simplify management of the P4510 Series PCIe SSDs and other PCIe SSDs, Intel is also delivering two new technologies that work together to replace legacy storage hardware. Intel Xeon Scalable processors include Intel Volume Management Device (VMD), enabling robust management such as surprise insertion/removal and LED management of PCIe SSDs directly connected to the CPU. Building on this functionality, Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC) uses Intel VMD to provide RAID to PCIe SSDs. By replacing RAID cards with Intel VROC, Intel promises that its SSDs offer up to twice the IOPs performance and up to a 70 percent cost savings with PCIe SSDs directly attached to the CPU.

Intel is also bringing new low-power SSDs in the Enterprise and Datacenter SSD Form Factor (EDSFF). The Intel SSD DC P4511 Series offers a low-power option for workloads with lower performance requirements. The P4511 Series will be available later in the first half of 2018 in M.2 110 mm form factor. Additionally, the Intel SSD DC P4510 Series will be available in the future in EDSFF 1U long and 1U short with up to 1 petabyte (PB) of storage in a 1U server rack.

At Flash Memory Summit 2017, Intel introduced the ruler form factor for Intel SSDs, purpose-built from the ground up for data center efficiency and free from the confines of legacy form factors. The new form factor delivers high storage density, system design flexibility with long and short versions, thermal efficiency, scalable performance (available x4, x8 and x16 connectors) and easy maintenance, with front-load, hot-swap capabilities. EDSFF is also future-ready and designed for PCIe 3.0, available today, and PCIe 4.0 and 5.0, when they are ready.

Recently, the Enterprise and Datacenter SSD Form Factor specification was ratified by the EDSFF Working Group, which includes Intel, Samsung, Microsoft, Facebook and others. Intel has been shipping a pre-spec version of the Intel SSD DC P4500 Series to select customers, including IBM and Tencent, for more than a year, and the Intel SSD DC P4510 Series will be available in EDSFF 1U long and 1U short starting in the second half of 2018. Intel says that additional SSD manufactures have also expressed intent to deliver EDSFF SSDs in the future.