Samsung Electronics Develops Next-Generation PCIe 5.0-Based Server SSD

Industry-Leading High-Performance 'PM1743'
Read and Write Speeds Approximately Doubled Compared to Previous Standards
30% Improvement in Power Efficiency

Next-generation PCIe 5.0 standard high-performance SSD for servers 'PM1743' developed by Samsung Electronics
[Photo by Samsung Electronics]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] With the advent of the big data era, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, the demand for storing and processing large volumes of information has significantly increased. Next-generation technologies are emerging in the solid-state drive (SSD) market, which uses memory semiconductors as information storage devices, to meet this demand. Leading this field, Samsung Electronics announced on the 23rd that it has developed a new high-performance server SSD, the ‘PM1743’, compliant with the PCI Express (PCIe) 5.0 standard.

PCIe is a physical standard for the main circuit board in computers where products such as the central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), and memory operate. If data is compared to a vehicle, PCIe acts as a highway that helps various components responsible for storing, transporting, and processing data to work smoothly. It has evolved through generations, with the latest being PCIe 5.0. Compared to the previous generation PCIe 4.0, the bandwidth has doubled.

The new SSD, scheduled for mass production in the first quarter of next year, supports the PCIe 5.0 standard. It is equipped with 6th-generation V-NAND and a self-developed PCIe 5.0 controller, achieving industry-leading performance. The sequential read speed is about 1.9 times faster, and the random read speed is about 1.7 times faster than previous PCIe 4.0-based products. Writing performance has also improved, with sequential and random write speeds increasing by 1.7 times and 1.9 times, respectively. Samsung Electronics explained, "Using an SSD twice as fast as PCIe 4.0 enables faster data processing, making it suitable for applications requiring high performance, such as data centers."

This product also supports a dual-port function that allows data storage and processing through another port even if a device connected to one port fails. Security technologies that prevent external cyberattacks and data tampering have also been applied. Power efficiency has improved by about 30% compared to previous models, reducing server and data center operating costs and contributing to carbon reduction, Samsung Electronics added. With this technological capability, the product won the Innovation Award at CES 2022, the world’s largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition held in Las Vegas, USA, in January next year.

Song Yong-ho, Vice President and Head of Controller Development Team at Samsung Electronics’ Memory Business Division, said, "Samsung Electronics has enhanced SSD product competitiveness by differentiating core technologies in controller design to improve performance and power efficiency. We will lead the growth of the PCIe 5.0 SSD ecosystem in cooperation with major server and CPU companies and also lead the upcoming PCIe 6.0 era."

Meanwhile, according to market research firm Omdia, the server SSD market is expected to reach $19.1 billion (approximately 22.7 trillion KRW) this year, with an average annual growth rate of 14.3%, and the market size is projected to reach $33.6 billion (approximately 39.9 trillion KRW) by 2025. As of the third quarter of this year, Samsung Electronics held a 41.2% share of the overall SSD market, ranking first. Its market share in enterprise server SSDs was also about half, at 47.7%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.