SanDisk Introduces Improvement to SSD Performance

SanDisk has announced a file management system for SSD that it claims will accelerate random write speeds by up to 100 times. Named ExtremeFFS, the system uses a page-based algorithm that cuts the tie between the physical and logical locations of data. That means the data can be stored wherever is most efficient and convenient at the moment. Additionally, ExtremeFFS features usage-based content localization, which lets it "learn" user patterns over time and correspondingly localize data. This combination, according to a SanDisk press release, results in a dramatic improvement—potentially 100 times better--in random write performance, and an endurance boost as well.

In announcing the release of ExtremeFFS, Rich Heye, senior vice president and general manager for SanDisk's SSD Business Unit, also proposed two metrics for measuring SSD performance and endurance. virtualRPM (vRPM) rates the performance of an SSD relative to a HDD or another SSD. Long-Term Data Endurance (LDE) measures the amount of writes available to an SSD and is a more accurate indicator of the lifespan of the drive than older methods. "SSDs will revolutionize client storage," said Heye, "but we need new benchmarks that allow them to be treated differently than HDDs."

SSD, which stands for solid-state disk, is a key new storage technology that uses ultra-speedy flash memory instead of mechanical arms and platters to store data. It drastically reduces read, write, and access times, and has a comparatively tiny physical footprint for the amount of data stored. If ExtremeFFS delivers on its promise, it could yield almost unheard of speed and greatly improve the lifespan of an SSD as well.

According to the press release, SanDisk expects to begin shipping ExtremeFFS with its products in 2009. For a brief introduction to SSD, see "Is SSD the Future of Storage?"