Kioxia Unveils SSD With Flexible Optical Interface That Can Reduce Power
Blocks&Files, Thursday, August 8th, 2024
Kioxia America is showcasing a prototype broadband SSD with an optical interface for next-generation data centers, at this week's Future of Memory and Storage (FMC) conference in Santa Clara, California.
In the demo a board-level component interfaces to a PCIe cable and then carries the PCIe signal across the optical link to the SSD. By replacing the electrical wiring interface with an optical one, the alternative technology is said to allow greater physical distance between compute and storage devices; 40 meters (circa 131 feet) at present. Kioxia has a 100 meter length in its roadmap. Along with slimming down the wiring, the new option is also expected to deliver 'high flexibility to data center system designs and applications,' according to Kioxia. Additionally, energy efficiency and 'high signal quality' is being promised.