From Micron, we learn that the company is starting shipments of the 6600 Ion and, excuse the pun, this is currently the largest-capacity SSD commercially available. In fact, we’re talking about a model with up to 245TB of storage space. Obviously, this is not a model for the general public. With such a capacity, it’s clearly aimed at companies specializing in AI or the cloud.
6600 Ion: the largest SSD currently on the market!
245TB of storage, no less!
The big news concerns the maximum storage capacity of this SSD series, which boasts no less than 245TB of space. Clearly, data centers and hyperscalers will appreciate these models, all the more so as Micron has announced low power consumption of 30W maximum. To put it simply, in terms of efficiency, we’re talking about storage that achieves 8.2 TB/W.
As for performance, we’re dealing with models that are geared towards reading rather than writing. In sequential reading, the company claims speeds of up to 13.7 GB/s, while writing falls to the level of a PCIe 3.0 x4 model. But this corresponds to their typical use, where write performance is not paramount.
As for their format, these models come mainly in E3.L and U.2. No M.2 here. Finally, we learn that QLC G9 NAND memory is used.
176.9 PB (176,900 TB) cabinets:
Obviously, with 245TB units, storage capacities explode, and we’re talking about 36U rack-format cabinets capable of reaching 176.9PB, or 176,900TB. As you can see, with this model, hard disks are completely outdated. By comparison, the largest hard disks currently available are less than 40TB, although progress continues to be made in this sector. What’s more, Micron points to good energy efficiency, which means lower electricity bills for servers, resulting in substantial savings.
