Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) has introduced a six-stage AI Data Cycle framework that defines the optimal storage mix for AI workloads at scale.
This framework will help customers plan and develop advanced storage infrastructures to maximize their AI investments, improve efficiency, and reduce their AI workflows’ total cost of ownership (TCO).
AI models operate in a continuous loop of data consumption and generation – processing text, images, audio, and video, among other data types, while simultaneously producing new, unique data.
As AI technologies become more advanced, data storage systems must deliver the capacity and performance to support the computational loads and speeds required for large, sophisticated models while managing immense volumes of data.
Western Digital has strategically aligned its Flash and HDD product and technology roadmaps to the storage requirements of each critical stage of the cycle and introduced a new industry-leading, high-performance PCIe® Gen5 SSD to support AI training and inference; a high-capacity 64TB* SSD for fast AI data lakes; and the world’s highest capacity ePMR, UltraSMR 32TB* HDD for cost-effective storage at scale.
The implications for storage are expected to be significant as the role of storage and access to data influences the speed, efficiency, and accuracy of AI Models, especially as more important and higher-quality data sets become more prevalent,” said Ed Burns, Research Director at IDC.
The new Ultrastar DC SN861 SSD is Western Digital’s first enterprise-class PCIe Gen 5.0 solution with industry-leading random read performance and projected best-in-class power efficiency for AI workloads.
With capacities up to 16TB, it delivers up to a 3x random read performance increase compared to the previous generation with ultra-low latency and incredible responsiveness for large language model (LLM) training, inferencing and AI service deployment.
In addition, the low power profile delivers higher IOPS/Watt, reducing overall TCO. The increased PCIe Gen5 bandwidth addresses the growing needs of the AI market for high-speed accelerated computing combined with low latency to serve compute-intensive environments of AI.
Features of the new product
Built for mission-critical workloads, the Ultrastar DC SN861 provides a rich feature set, including NVMe® 2.0 and OCP 2.0 support, 1 and 3 DWPD, and a 5-year limited warranty1. The Ultrastar DC SN861 E1.S is now sampling. The U.2 will begin sampling this month and will begin volume shipments in CQ3’24. More details on E1.S and E3.S form factors will follow later this year.
Complementing the Ultrastar DC SN861 is the expanded Ultrastar DC SN655 enterprise-class SSD range for storage-intensive applications. The new options for the U.3 SSD will reach up to 64TB, driving higher performance and capacity for AI data preparation and faster, larger data lakes.
These new DC SN655 variants are now sampling. More details about the drives will be released later this year when volume shipments begin.
TimesNow.com.ng previously reported that Western Digital Corporation, a US drive manufacturer and data storage firm, has expanded its portfolio with the new eight terabytes SanDisk desk drive.
This is in contrast to the increasing demand for robust storage solutions capable of handling the burgeoning production of digital content.
The company’s highest capacity is on an external desktop Solid State Drive (SSD).
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
