SMART Modular Introduces MDC7000 Enterprise-Class Solid State Drive

NEWARK, Calif., November 5, 2020 — SMART Modular Technologies, a subsidiary of  SMART Global Holdings, Inc., (NASDAQ: SGH), announces the MDC7000 PCIe NVMe SSD, an enterprise-class solid-state drive (SSD) product by SMART Modular designed to meet the needs of the data center, high-performance computing and other high-performance, high-capacity enterprise server applications.

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The MDC7000 SSD product is available in the Enterprise and Data Center SSD Form Factor (EDSFF). E1.S is a new form factor standard that specifically meets the needs of high-performance compute and storage servers. SMART Modular, with its long history of innovation in leading-edge DRAM and Flash memory products for the data center and enterprise server market, is among the first in the industry to introduce a production-ready E1.S enterprise-class SSD product.

The MDC7000 EDSFF E1.S SSD is an ideal solution for capturing, storing, and analyzing very large amounts of data. It is the first in a line of enterprise-class SSD products to be released by SMART Modular. The high-performance SSD in E1.S form factor and 12V operation is specifically optimized for scale-out main storage in servers. The new drive fits length-wise on the side in 1U servers to provide improved cooling and maximum system capacity (up to 32 EDSFF SSDs in a 1U server). The MDC7000, EDSFF E1.S SSD supports a full range of command sets and provides the security and reliability needed for the most demanding data center and enterprise server applications.

SMART Modular Flash product director, Victor Tsai said, “EDSFF E1.S enterprise-class SSD addresses many of the deficiencies of existing SSD form factors and provides an optimal solution in storage capacity, packing efficiency, power and thermal management for data center and enterprise server applications. Backed by our renowned product reliability and exceptional technical support, SMART Modular is an ideal partner for early adopters of EDSFF storage solutions in their system designs.”

On November 4, 2019, VentureBeat published the following about EDSFF technology, “The availability of first-wave storage products based on this hot design specification promises disruptive, screamingly fast new possibilities for high-performance computing. Think big data servers, AI, high-end gaming, and other data-or graphics-intensive applications where large amounts of fast memory and storage are advantageous.”

Technical Highlights

The memory range capacity of the EDSFF E.1S drive ranges from 1TB to 8TB and the drive contains SMART Modular's NVMSentry™ firmware security feature. Other features of this innovative new drive include:

MDC7000 EDSFF E1.S SSD

●E1.S 5.9mm 12W Form factor (31.5mm x 111.49mm x 5.9mm)

●Available configurations:

∎Read intensive (1 DWPD): 960GB, 1.92TB, 3.84TB, 7.68TB

∎Mixed-use (3 DWPD): 800GB, 1.6TB, 3.2TB, 6.4TB

●Enterprise-class SSD controller with SMART proprietary NVMSentry™ firmware

●PCIe Gen 3x4 supporting single-port and independent dual-port functions

●NVMe 1.3 compliant with SMBus NVMe management interface support

●Namespace management – up to 16 namespaces

●High security

∎Digital signed firmware, Secure Boot, Crypto erase, secure erase, TCG OPAL 2.0 (option)

●Safe DATA™ power loss data protection

●Supports Hot-plug insertion and removal

EDSFF E1.S form factor benefits

●Fits in common data center system chassis: 1U, 2U, etc.

●Designed to be front panel accessible

∎Up to 32 8TB E1.S SSDs in a 1U server for up to 256TB total storage capacity

●Common EDSFF connector for other advanced memory peripherals such as CXL and GenZ

●Cost-benefit to system designs with 12V only for the main power