Powering the next wave of AI innovation, Western digitality (NASDAQ: WDC) has introduced a six-stage AI data lifecycle framework that defines the optimal storage mix for large-scale AI workloads. This framework will support customers plan and develop advanced storage infrastructures to maximize AI investments, improve performance and lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) of AI workflows.
Artificial intelligence models operate in a continuous loop of data consumption and generation – they process text, images, audio, video and other types of data while creating modern, unique data. As AI technologies become more advanced, data storage systems must provide the capacity and performance to handle the computational loads and speeds required for enormous, sophisticated models while managing massive amounts of data. Western Digital has strategically aligned its Flash and HDD product and technology roadmaps to meet storage requirements at every critical stage of the lifecycle, and today introduced a modern industry-leading, high-performance PCIe® Gen5 SSD that supports AI training and inference; 64TB high-capacity SSD* for speedy AI data lakes; and the world’s largest capacity ePMR demanding drive, the UltraSMR 32TB*, for cost-effective storage at scale.
A growing suite of enterprise AI storage solutions for compute and storage intensive workloads
The modern Ultrastar DC SN861 SSD is Western Digital’s first enterprise-grade PCIe Gen 5.0 solution, delivering industry-leading random read performance and projected best-in-class power efficiency for AI workloads. With up to 16TB of capacity, it delivers up to 3x improvement in random read performance over the previous generation with ultra-low latency and incredible responsiveness for enormous language modeling (LLM) training, inference, and AI service deployment. Additionally, the low power profile delivers higher IOPS/W, reducing total cost of ownership. Increased PCIe Gen5 bandwidth meets the growing needs of the AI market for high-speed, accelerated computing combined with low latency to support compute-intensive AI environments. Built for mission-critical workloads, the Ultrastar DC SN861 provides a affluent feature set including NVMe® 2.0 and OCP 2.0 support, 1 and 3 DWPD, and a 5-year circumscribed warranty1. Ultrastar DC SN861 E1.S is now sampling. U.2 will begin sampling this month, with wholesale deliveries beginning in the third quarter of 2024. More details about the E1.S and E3.S cases will be available later this year.
The Ultrastar DC SN861 is complemented by an expanded series of Ultrastar DC SN655 enterprise-class SSDs, designed for storage-intensive applications. The modern U.3 SSD options will reach capacities up to 64TB, providing higher performance and capacity for AI data preparation and faster and larger data lakes.
Novel DC SN655 variants are currently being sampled. More details about the drives will be revealed later this year when mass deliveries begin.
Western Digital is currently testing the industry’s largest capacity enterprise demanding drive, the 32TB ePMR, for select customers. Designed to store massive data in hyperscale clouds and enterprise data centers, the modern UltraSMR Ultrastar DC HC690 high-capacity demanding drive will play a key role in AI workflows where large-scale data storage and low total cost of ownership are paramount. Leveraging proven designs from generations of highly successful products, the modern 32TB drive delivers unmatched capacity along with seamless qualification and integration for rapid deployment while maintaining excellent reliability and reliability. More details about the drive will be available later this summer.