Open Source Software Project Enables Software Developers to Maximize Use of Flash Media

KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced the availability of the first hardware samples that support the Linux^® Foundation’s vendor-neutral Software-Enabled Flash^TM Community Project, which is making flash software-defined. The company is expecting to deliver customer samples in August 2023. Built for the demanding needs of hyperscale environments, Software-Enabled Flash technology helps hyperscale cloud providers and storage developers maximize the value of flash memory. The hardware from KIOXIA is the first step to putting this working technology in the hands of developers.

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Built for the demanding needs of hyperscale environments, Software-Enabled Flash technology helps hyperscale cloud providers and storage developers maximize the value of flash memory. The hardware from KIOXIA is the first step to putting this working technology in the hands of developers. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The first running units will be showcased in live demonstrations in the KIOXIA booth (#307) next week at Flash Memory Summit 2023 (FMS 2023). This new class of drive consists of purpose-built, media-centric flash hardware focused on hyperscale requirements that work with an open source API and libraries to provide the needed functionality. By unlocking the power of flash, this technology breaks free from legacy hard disk drive (HDD) protocols and creates a platform specific to flash media in a hyperscale environment.

“The Software-Enabled Flash project allows the flash industry to shed the legacy HDD device paradigm,” said Eric Ries, senior vice president of the Memory and Storage Strategy Division for KIOXIA America, Inc. “With this new collaboration across the developer and flash maker communities, flash can be customized for different storage requirements, and protocols can be changed with a simple driver change while keeping the same hardware in place.”

Hosted by the Linux Foundation, this open source, global collaboration project will allow broad adoption of - and advancements to - software-defined flash to benefit the storage developer community. Focused on flash cloud storage, the project was created to be vendor agnostic and flexible in order to meet the evolving requirements of the modern data center.

According to the Linux Foundation’s Mike Dolan, “The community is very active in data storage development, and this new project focusing on a software-defined API answers the serious need for a software-defined approach to flash storage in the cloud.”

The Linux Foundation’s Software-Enabled Flash Community Project offers several levels of membership and participation. To learn more, please visit www.softwareenabledflash.org.

For more information, please visit www.kioxia.com and follow the company on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About KIOXIA America, Inc.

KIOXIA America, Inc. is the U.S.-based subsidiary of KIOXIA Corporation, a leading worldwide supplier of flash memory and solid-state drives (SSDs). From the invention of flash memory to today’s breakthrough BiCS FLASH™ 3D technology, KIOXIA continues to pioneer innovative memory, SSD and software solutions that enrich people's lives and expand society's horizons. The company's innovative 3D flash memory technology, BiCS FLASH, is shaping the future of storage in high-density applications, including advanced smartphones, PCs, SSDs, automotive, and data centers. For more information, please visit KIOXIA.com.

© 2023 KIOXIA America, Inc. All rights reserved. Information in this press release, including product pricing and specifications, content of services, and contact information is current and believed to be accurate on the date of the announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice. Technical and application information contained here is subject to the most recent applicable KIOXIA product specifications.

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