#236 – A FlashCore Module Primer with IBM Fellow & Storage CTO Andy Walls

In this episode, recorded life at FMS 2022, Chris chats to IBM Fellow, Storage CTO and FlashSystem Architect, Andy Walls.

In this episode recorded at Flash Memory Summit 2022, Chris talks to IBM Fellow, Flash Storage CTO and FlashSystem Chief Architect, Andy Walls. In episode #235, we started the discussion on FlashCore Modules (FCM), whereas this podcast conversation talks about the technology origins and benefits. The impact of FCM has been to deliver the highest capacity drive on the market, while enabling the adoption of QLC technology. In the future, IBM will add hint technology to aid in improving performance and benefits like ransomware detection.

You can learn more about FlashCore modules in our deep dive into FlashSystem 5200 and in this podcast recorded in September 2020.

Elapsed Time: 00:15:55

00:00:00 – Intros
00:01:15 – Where did FlashCore Modules come from?
00:02:15 – Original FlashCore modules weren’t standard form factor
00:03:30 – 90% of FlashSystem media are FlashCore modules
00:04:40 – IBM doesn’t compete by selling FlashCore directly
00:06:00 – Andy has the benefit of IBM Research…..
00:07:15 – FlashCore uses QLC with the capability of TLC
00:08:00 – 38TB drives were introduced in 2020
00:09:15 – How does IBM manage the size of media failure domains
00:11:13 – Hinting technology (via NVMe) will deliver better performance
00:13:15 – IBM wants the industry to deliver more computational benefits from storage
00:14:37 – FCM devices are closer to data and can do more useful work there
00:15:15 – Wrap Up

Related Podcasts & Blogs

#235 – FlashCore Futures with IBM CMO Scott Baker
#175 – IBM FlashSystem Deep Dive (Sponsored)
IBM FlashSystem 5200 Deep Dive

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