Intel punches out data centre flash cardlet Intel has released a tiny, single-sided and heavily read-optimised SSD for server use in data centres. The P3100 is an M.2 design (22 x 80mm) built from 3D TLC (3bits/cell) NAND. This format has begun appearing in tablets, thin notebooks and desktops as it doesn't take up much space and the use of TLC (3bits/cell) NAND means …
I could see these becoming popular for datacenters, if server makers start including a hotswappable backplane for M.2 drives. Something similar to the SAS backplanes currently used. There would be much higher density than current 2.5in drives, and many workloads are heavily skewed towards reads.
The real differentiation, though, will be cost. There will need to be a significant cost advantage for these over buying "standard" SSDs, somewhere much closer to spinning rust prices.
I think NVME with the U.2 connector in 2.5" format is establishing itself moreso as the backplaned PCIE-connected flash format of choice.
There's a couple of M.2-to-AIC adapters out there but HP is pitching these more as a workstation product rather than a server one. There's compatibility questions over lane division/pcie switching as well.
It's kind of worrisome that whoever wrote this spec sheet for Intel doesn't know that TLC doesn't stand for "tri-level". TLC is more accurately called 3BPC, because it stores 3 bits, which any CS major would tell you requires... 8 different states (levels).
I see TLC commonly referred to as "three level cells" in the press, but you would hope Intel themselves could get it right.
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