Today Micron initiated the first of a multi-tier launch of a new SATA Enterprise SSD lineup built around their IMFT 32-layer 3D NAND Flash. It may seem odd for a full enterprise line to use IMFT 3D TLC, as that flash has not been known for the high random IOPS demands of the datacenter, but Micron looks to be making it work, and work well.

Above is a performance consistency plot of their MAX model. While this does have the highest OP of all of the models, the consistency is surpassing even NVMe models (using a bus *much* faster than SATA). Sure the results are only using 1-second averages and not our Latency Percentile, but we will be able to pick out any single-IO inconsistencies once we get samples in for detailed review.

Saturated IOPS performance also looks good 'on paper'.

The advantage to operating their flash in TLC mode is that the per die capacity moves from 32GB to 48GB, ultimately driving down the cost/GB of these products and making them an easier sell to enterprise customers. It also enables high capacities – the max capacity of the model with the least overprovisioning (ECO) will reach 8TB in a 2.5" SATA form factor when the last leg of this launch is completed later next year.

The three lines are all using the same controller and base firmware, but with differences in how the dies are laid out with respect to expected performance and endurance.

Below are all of the products being launched. All products use a Marvell 88SS1074 controller at SATA 6Gbit:

  • 5100 ECO
    • 2.5" 7mm: 480, 960, 1920, 3840, 7680 GB
    • M.2 2280: 480, 960, 1920 GB
    • Sequential read/write: 540 / 380-520 MB/s
    • Random read/write: 93k / 9k-31k IOPS
    • Endurance: <=1 DWPD
    • Cost / GB: $0.45 – $0.55
  • 5100 PRO
    • 2.5" 7mm: 240, 480, 960, 1920, 3840 GB
    • M.2 2280: 240, 480, 960, 1920 GB
    • Sequential read/write: 540 / 380-520 MB/s
    • Random read/write: 78 (240GB)-93k / 26k-43k IOPS
    • Endurance: 1-3 DWPD
    • Cost / GB: $0.55 – $0.65
  • 5100 MAX
    • 2.5" 7mm: 240, 480, 960, 1920 GB
    • M.2 2280: (none)
    • Sequential read/write: 540 / 310-520 MB/s
    • Random read/write: 93k / 48k-74k IOPS
    • Endurance: 5 DWPD
    • Cost / GB: $0.65 – $0.75

All models come with Micron 'Flex Capacity', which enables custom *increases* in OverProvisioning. Flex Security enables FIPS 140-2 validated 256-bit AES encryption.

The specs are very good when you consider their performance consistency claims, meaning a 74k IOPS random write rating applies to random writes across the *entire span* of the SSD *at steady state*. Consumer SSD firmware typically chokes with this type of workload, even ones equipped with MLC flash.

We will have more on the 5100 Series from Micron as these products are rolled out and sampled to us for performance review.

Press blast after the break.

Micron Accelerates Adoption of All-Flash Data Centers With Highest-Capacity Enterprise SATA Solid State Drive

Micron 5100 Enterprise SSD: Foundation for Big Data, Analytics and Streaming with Flexibility, Performance and Value

News Highlights

  • Micron introduces the Micron® Enterprise 5100 Series SATA SSD product line available in three workload-focused configurations
  • New Micron FlexPro™ architecture: Tunable performance and capacity to optimize applications and workloads and provide  easier deployment

●Engineered for high-performance and robust security for today’s data deluge , delivering the highest capacity in SATA SSDs

BOISE, Idaho – December 5, 2016 Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU) today introduced the Micron® Enterprise 5100 Series SATA solid state drive (SSD) family, enabling future-focused data storage platforms to meet the combined demands of performance, capacity and enterprise-class reliability. Micron’s 5100 Series Enterprise SATA SSDs provide IT with an easy migration to bridge the infrastructure divide to tomorrow’s all flash data center.

With an industry-leading 8-terabyte (TB) capacity, the 5100 Series helps you manage the data deluge created by today’s diverse digital universe with performance characteristics perfectly tailored to manage the data tsunami.

  • Better Quality of Service (QoS) – Extremely efficient quality of service (QoS), delivering up to 99 percent better QoS than spinning media * — reducing mission-critical data delays.
  • Unmatched Capacity – Satisfying a wide range of capacity demands — up to 8TB.  Industry-leading SATA capacity — 2X that of the nearest SSD manufacturer.
  • Application Performance – Engineered for high-performance — 74k random writes. Tunable drive performance and endurance within Micron’s integrated FlexPro firmware architecture.
  • Better TCO: Enhancing Micron’s enterprise data storage offerings, the 5100 Series SSDs help deliver optimized total cost of ownership (TCO) and better data center efficiency through server and storage platform consolidation, enabling reduced IT costs.

“Micron is uniquely positioned to help IT embrace modernization and agility, and leading enterprise and cloud data centers look to Micron for breadth and depth in solid state storage solutions to tame a diverse digital universe,” Darren Thomas, vice president of storage at Micron. “Our Micron 5100 Series SATA SSDs featuring FlexPro architecture offer a seamless migration path with enterprise class reliability and proven ROI, ensuring flexibility, continuity and agility for data management today and tomorrow.”

A Full Product Line Designed to Meet Your Needs

Built on Micron’s industry-leading 3D NAND technology, the 5100 Series offers three models, each designed to satisfy the broadest variation of customer workloads: read-intensive, latency-sensitive mixed-use and write-intensive logging applications.

  • Micron 5100 ECO: Cloud services focused, optimized for content sharing (video and media streaming). Performance and endurance characteristics for consistent data throughput and fast information delivery.
  • Micron 5100 PRO: A true workhorse. Excels in consistent performance delivery for latency-sensitive applications. Enhances your bottom line through better response times (e.g., databases powering e-commerce, trading transactions, etc.).
  • Micron 5100 MAX: Meet un-forecasted demand of today’s mission-critical data center.  Agility and flexibility to respond easily and effectively.

Flex Your Storage Muscles

In addition to faster speeds and feeds, Enterprise SSDs must provide advanced management and optimization tools to help fully utilize their capabilities and maximize lifespan.

To that end, Micron has introduced new FlexPro™ firmware architecture, paving the way for customers to future-proof their storage investment. The FlexPro architecture unifies design elements across all Micron’s data center SSDs and unleashes the true capabilities of the storage media, enabling IT managers to easily tune specific drive features (capacity, security, endurance, power, data layout, data cleanup and performance)..

FlexPro firmware architecture features first available in the 5100 SATA Series:

Flex Capacity™ Feature

  • Enables customers to tune 5100 capacity to deliver application and workload-optimized performance. Administrators save time and money with the flexibility to repurpose drives and servers for different kinds of workload traffic and application needs.

Flex Security™ Feature

  • Robust security features to protect valuable data from unauthorized access.  Helps address enterprise security concerns with market-leading data protection and encryption (AES-256 bit encryption, TCG-enterprise protection in a FIPS-validated SATA SSD) with zero performance impact.

Praise for the Micron® Enterprise 5100 Series SATA SSD

“The new Micron 5100 family of SSDs provide a perfect option to replace HDD storage, delivering a cost-optimized solution to handle diverse workloads while meeting ever-present IT budget constraints,” said Alexey Stolyar, development director, at ICC. “We’re pleased to partner with Micron to support our customers who are seeking storage and computing technologies of the highest quality.”

“Micron’s new 5100 SSD family is a good fit for Linux-based cloud and HPC solutions, giving IT pros a new choice for agile and efficient data center deployments,” said Sue Lewis, Chief Marketing Officer at Silicon Mechanics. “The 5100 Series SATA SSDs deliver the capacity, performance and consistency requested by our customers as they look to solve the challenges of price, performance, and scalability.”  

“Enterprise data centers are pressed more than ever to modernize legacy IT while having infrastructure agility,” said Greg Wong, founder and Principal Analyst of Forward Insights. “Storage is a strategic investment in delivering agility and Micron is positioned to take advantage of denser datacenters with the compact design, speed and capacity of their new SSDs.”

* The Micron 5100 MAX 960GB SSD was measured against a competing SAS 12Gb/s 15K 600GB HDDs. Performed on Intel* Core i7-4790K @ 4.0GHz, Asus* Maximum VII GENE motherboard, CentOS*6.5 64-bit, FIO* 2.2.6, Workload – 4KB Block Size, 100% Read, 100% Random, Queue Depth 32, 99.999% Quality of Service.  *Other names and brands may be claimed as property of others