Exascend debuts rugged PCIe 4.0 SSD lineup featuring industry’s first Gen4 E1.S design

Exascend Inc., a leading provider of industrial, enterprise and cinematography data storage, announces the release of its new line of high-performing PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs: the PI4 series.

Featuring PCIe 4.0 technology, ultra-high capacity, and best-in-class energy efficiency, the PI4 series brings low-power enterprise-class storage into next-generation industrial applications. Available in the M.2, U.2 and E1.S form factors, the lineup establishes Exascend as the first flash storage provider in the world to support industrial PCIe Gen4 E1.S storage. 

Enterprise-class PCIe Gen4 performance ready for integration 

Exascend’s PI4 series utilizes the ultra-fast PCIe 4.0 interface with NAND flash support from Micron and Kioxia for full forward and backward compatibility – making it a truly future-proof upgrade. The series leverages Exascend’s trademark hardware and firmware technologies to deliver reliable enterprise-class performance – providing high quality of service (QoS) to maximize the performance of latency-sensitive systems. This means that system integrators and industrial innovators can finally bring staggering enterprise-class PCIe Gen4 performance to even the toughest of applications. 

Higher transfer speeds at lower power draw 

Exascend’s PI4 series is paired with Marvell’s premium 12 nm controller and the latest industrial-grade 3D TLC NAND flash for impeccable performance and low power consumption, delivering sustained transfer speeds of up to 3,500 MB/s and 4K random speeds of up to 600K IOPS. In addition to higher transfer speeds, the PI4 series offers substantial energy savings when compared to its predecessors, improving write performance per watt by a whopping 143% – marking Exascend’s most recent effort to reduce customers’ carbon footprint through low power PCIe storage. 

Engineered to withstand harsh industrial conditions on the edge 

Exascend’s PI4 series is specifically designed to address performance-hampering factors commonly found in edge applications, including small space, overheating, extreme temperatures, mechanical stress and unstable power supply. The SSDs can operate flawlessly in temperatures from -40 to 185 °F (-40 to 85 °C). They are certified to withstand mechanical stress and vibrations, featuring Exascend’s proprietary Adaptive Thermal Control™ (ATC) firmware technology for stable top-level performance without thermal-throttling-induced drops and spikes. 

With its high sustained performance under heavy data loads, the PI4 series is ideal for write-intensive applications such as rugged edge servers, autonomous driving systems, surveillance, and big data logging systems. The PI4 series has already entered validation with leading customers in the autonomous driving and data logging sectors now testing product samples.

Unparalleled customisation services and design expertise 

PI4 SSDs feature a wealth of Exascend’s exclusive technologies, including firmware and hardware-level power loss protection (Dual Power Loss Protection), hardware RAID ECC, Data Retention Plus™, and Neutron Shield™ – all specifically developed to ensure optimal data integrity and security. The SSDs incorporate Exascend’s proprietary SuperCruise™ technology for ultra-low latency and stable write performance, which translates into high quality of service (QoS). 

Moreover, Exascend’s uniquely integrated product development and firmware design expertise allows the company to provide unparalleled levels of product customization – resulting in perfectly tailored solutions for any application. Optional advanced features include TCG Opal 2.0, AES-256 encryption, Unlimited Over-Provisioning, Custom Data Sanitization, Data Path Protection, and more. 

Configurations and availability 

Product samples for the PI4 series are now available for customers upon request. The PI4 series is available in both standard and pSLC configurations with storage capacities from 960 to 7,680 GB and endurance ratings up to 24,000 TBW, based on JESD219 Enterprise Workload. 

Exascend’s PI4 series comes in M.2 2280 and U.2 form factors for broad system compatibility; a DRAM-less M.2 2230 option for compact systems; and the world’s first rugged E1.S design – combining high performance, high capacity and hardware power loss protection in a thermally-efficient next-generation design. Catering to different thermal environments, E1.S SSDs can be configured with heat spreaders, asymmetric and symmetric enclosures.