Microchip Demonstrates Flashtec 5016 Enterprise SSD Controller

Microchip lately introduced the supply of their second PCIe Gen 5 enterprise SSD controller – the Flashtec 5016. Just like the 4016, that is additionally a 16-channel controller, however there are some key updates:

• PCIe 5.0 lane group: Operation in x4 or twin impartial x2 / x2 mode within the 5016, in comparison with the x8, or x4, or twin impartial x4 / x2 mode within the 4016.
• DRAM help: 4 ranks of DDR5-5200 within the 5016, in comparison with two ranks of DDR4-3200 within the 4016.
• Prolonged NAND help: 2400 MT/s NAND within the 4016, in comparison with the 3200 MT/s NAND help within the 5016.
• Efficiency enhancements: The 5016 is able to delivering 3.5M+ random learn IOPS in comparison with the 3M+ of the 4016.

Microchip’s enterprise SSD controllers present a excessive stage of flexibility to SSD distributors by offering them with important horsepower and accelerators. The 5016 consists of Cortex-A53 cores for SSD distributors to run customized functions related to SSD administration. Nevertheless, in comparison with the Gen4 controllers, there are two further cores within the CPU cluster. The DRAM subsystem consists of ECC help (each out-of-band and inline, as desired by the SSD vendor).

At FMS 2024, the corporate demonstrated an utility of the neural community engines embedded within the Gen5 controllers. Controllers normally make use of a ‘read-retry’ operation with altered read-out voltages for flash reads that don’t full efficiently. Microchip carried out a machine studying method to find out the read-out voltage based mostly on the well being historical past of the NAND block utilizing the NN engines within the controller. This method delivers tangible advantages for learn latency and energy consumption (due to a smaller variety of errors on the primary learn).

The 4016 and 5016 include a single-chip root of belief implementation for {hardware} safety. A safe boot course of with dual-signature authentication ensures that the controller firmware is just not maliciously altered within the area. The corporate additionally introduced out the benefits of their controller’s implementation of SR-IOV, versatile information placement, and zoned namespaces together with their ‘credit score engine’ scheme for multi-tenant cloud workloads. These facets have been additionally introduced out in different demonstrations.

Microchip’s press launch included quotes from the standard NAND distributors – Solidigm, Kioxia, and Micron. On the client entrance, Longsys has been utilizing Flashtec controllers of their enterprise choices together with YMTC NAND. It’s doubtless that this collaboration will proceed additional utilizing the brand new 5016 controller.