Silicon Motion has introduced the official launch of their first technology of PCIe 4.0-capable NVMe SSD controllers. These controllers have been on the roadmap for fairly some time and have been previewed at commerce reveals, however the first fashions at the moment are transport. The high-end SM2264 and mainstream SM2267/SM2267XT controllers will allow client SSDs that transfer past the efficiency limits of the PCIe 3.Zero x4 interface that has been the usual for nearly all earlier client NVMe SSDs.
The high-end SM2264 controller is the successor to Silicon Motion’s SM2262(EN) controllers, and the SM2264 brings essentially the most vital modifications that add as much as a doubling of efficiency. The SM2264 nonetheless makes use of Eight NAND channels, however now supporting double the pace: as much as 1600MT/s. The controller consists of 4 ARM Cortex R8 cores, in comparison with two cores on SMI’s earlier shopper/client NVMe controllers. As with most SSD controllers aiming for the excessive finish PCIe 4.Zero product phase, the SM2264 is fabbed on a smaller node: TSMC’s 12nm FinFET course of, which permits for considerably higher energy effectivity than the 28nm planar course of utilized by the previous technology of SSD controllers. The SM2264 additionally consists of help for some enterprise-oriented options like SR-IOV virtualization, although we most likely will not see that enabled on client SSD merchandise. The SM2264 additionally consists of the newest technology of Silicon Motion’s NANDXtend ECC system, which switches from a 2kb to 4kB codeword measurement for the LDPC error correction.
The SM2264 controller will likely be competing with in-house controllers utilized by Samsung and Western Digital for his or her flagship client SSDs, and towards the upcoming Phison E18 controller. Phison’s E16 controller was the primary client PCIe 4.Zero controller to hit the market, however is now being outclassed by a second wave of PCIe 4.Zero controllers that come a lot nearer to utilizing the total potential of a PCIe 4.Zero x4 interface. The SM2264 controller is presently sampling to drive distributors, however we do not have an estimate for when merchandise will likely be hitting the cabinets.
| Silicon Motion Client/Consumer NVMe SSD Controllers | ||||||||
| SM2263(XT) | SM2267(XT) | SM2262EN | SM2264 | |||||
| Market Segment | Mainstream Consumer | High-End Consumer | ||||||
| Manufacturing Process |
28nm | 28nm | 28nm | 12nm | ||||
| Arm CPU Cores | 2x Cortex | 2x Cortex R5 | 2x Cortex | 4x Cortex R8 | ||||
| Error Correction | 2kB LDPC | 2kB LDPC | 2kB LDPC | 4kB LDPC | ||||
| DRAM Support | LPDDR3, DDR4 -XT: None |
LPDDR4, DDR4 -XT: None |
LPDDR3, DDR4 | LPDDR4, DDR4 | ||||
| Host Interface | PCIe 3.Zero x4 | PCIe 4.Zero x4 | PCIe 3.Zero x4 | PCIe 4.Zero x4 | ||||
| NAND Channels, Interface Speed | 4ch 667 MT/s |
4ch 1200MT/s |
8ch 800MT/s |
8ch 1600MT/s |
||||
| CEs per Channel | 4 | 8 -XT: 4 |
4 | 8 | ||||
| Sequential Read | 2400 MB/s | 3900 MB/s | 3500 MB/s | 7400 MB/s | ||||
| Sequential Write | 1700 MB/s | 3500 MB/s | 3000 MB/s | 6800 MB/s | ||||
| 4KB Random Read IOPS | 300ok -XT: 280ok |
500ok | 420ok | 1000ok | ||||
| 4KB Random Write IOPS | 250ok | 500ok | 420ok | 1000ok | ||||
For the extra mainstream product segments, Silicon Motion’s SM2267 and SM2267XT controllers are the replacements for the SM2263 and SM2263XT. These will assist carry entry-level NVMe efficiency as much as concerning the degree that was commonplace for high-end PCIe 3.Zero SSDs. The SM2267XT is the DRAMless variant of the SM2267 and in addition has half as many chip allows (CEs), which permit for a a lot smaller package deal measurement appropriate to be used on small type elements like M.2 2230. The SM2267(XT) controllers are nonetheless manufactured on the cheaper 28nm course of. The SM2267 and SM2267XT controllers are in mass manufacturing and the primary merchandise utilizing these components have additionally entered the provision…
