Why KIOXIA Engineered a New Flash Storage API for Hyperscale

Engineering a New Flash API for Hyperscale

We live in a data driven world, where data that matters is being stored more and more on flash memory. It’s ubiquitous: with flash memory used everywhere from the expected laptops, cell phones, enterprise servers, to places you might not expect, like in your car or home appliances. But, by far the greatest user of flash is the cloud. Hyperscale cloud companies consume the majority of flash memory produced, and their share is expected to increase in the future.

The storage needs of these massive cloud companies are very different from those of traditional enterprise IT infrastructures. Hyperscale companies need to tightly control flash memory latencies to ensure high-quality responsive services. Because each server in the cloud can be running dozens of different workloads, hyperscale also must isolate the effects of one workload from another. And, because hyperscale is hyper-software-defined, they need flash memory to be flexible, reconfigurable, and highly controllable.

Existing flash interfaces just don’t meet the needs of the hyperscale cloud.  In the KIOXIA Memory and Storage Strategy Division, we saw this and began redefining the relationship between flash and the hyperscale application.  The result: Software-Enabled Flash™, a new open source API that seeks to give hyperscale cloud companies the power they need to make the most of flash memory.  Learn more about it from our SVP Eric Ries’ presentation at the Storage Developers Conference and check out how Software-Enabled Flash™ can be a force multiplier for the hyperscale cloud data center.

Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of KIOXIA America, Inc.

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