Micron Claims Feat of ‘World’s Fastest Data Center SSD

Micron has launched a new set of solid-state drives (SSDs) with several reported industry-leading performance specifications.

The Micron 9550 family. 

These SSDs respond to a bottleneck in computational efficiency—a result of traditional storage solutions struggling to keep pace with the voracious appetite of AI algorithms for data. Storage manufacturers, including Micron, are now racing to develop faster, more efficient solid-state drives that meet modern data centers' rigorous requirements. 

Micron 9550 PCIe Gen5 SSD

Micron markets the Micron 9550 PCIe Gen5 SSD as the world's fastest data center SSD. The company engineered the SSD to provide exceptional performance and efficiency for data-intensive workloads, with a particular focus on AI applications. Leveraging a PCIe Gen5 interface and adhering to the NVMe 2.0b protocol, the new SSD is said to set new industry benchmarks.

Micron continues its commitment to vertical integration with the 9550's architecture. It features a Micron-designed controller ASIC, advanced 232-layer 3D TLC NAND, Micron DRAM, and proprietary firmware. The drive also supports the Open Compute Project (OCP) 2.0 standards and OCP 2.5 telemetry.

Performance of Micron’s 9950 NVMe SSDs. 

The 9550 achieves sequential read speeds of up to 14,000 MB/s and sequential write speeds reaching 10,000 MB/s. The former is considered an industry-leading metric, while the latter is marked as 67% better than competitive SSDs. Further, its random read performance peaks at 3,300K IOPS, while random write performance tops out at 400K IOPS. Respectively, these are 35% and 33% better than competitive offerings, according to Micron.

Pro and Max Models

Micron offers the 9550 in two distinct variants: the Pro model, designed for read-intensive workloads with one drive write per day (DWPD), and the Max model, optimized for mixed-use scenarios with three DWPD. These SSDs are available in U.2 (15 mm), E3.S (7.5 mm), and E1.S (15 mm) form factors, accommodating various data center configurations. Capacities range from 3.84 TB to 30.72 TB for the Pro model and 3.2 TB to 25.6 TB for the Max model.

In AI workloads, Micron claims significant advantages over competitors, reporting 33% faster graph neural network training, 29% reduced system power usage, and an 81% decrease in power consumption during AI training offload scenarios. Endurance is another strong suit of the 9550 SSD, with the Pro model handling up to 56,064 TBW for random workloads and 201,200 TBW for sequential workloads at its highest capacity. The drive yields a mean time to failure of 2.0 M hours when operated between 0–55°C, backed by a comprehensive five-year warranty, providing peace of mind for enterprise users.

Navigating the Future of Data Center Storage

Micron's 9550 PCIe Gen5 SSD reflects the ongoing evolution in data center storage technology. As AI and data-intensive applications continue to push the boundaries of computational demands, storage solutions like the 9550 are a welcome improvement.

Addressing power consumption and heat generation will become more critical as storage performance increases. Future innovations in this space will need to focus on striking a balance between raw performance, energy efficiency, and sustainability, paving the way for more environmentally conscious data center designs.