Samsung PM9E1 High Capacity PCIe Gen5 SSD for AI Supercomputing
Samsung has introduced the PM9E1 which marks the first PCIe Gen5 4TB SSD product in the M.2 22x42 form factor for the storage market. The storage system provides optimal performance for AI processing on devices and desktop supercomputing by functioning as the main storage unit of the NVIDIA DGX Spark™ desktop AI supercomputer system.
The PM9E1 delivers twice the performance of previous models while achieving power savings of up to 45%. The system uses the in house Presto controller together with 5nm process technology. The firmware operates with built in optimization for DGX Spark OS and NVIDIA CUDA environments to support the fast data access needs of AI workloads.
- Sequential Read Speed: Up to 14,500 MB/s
- Sequential Write Speed: Up to 12,600 MB/s
- Random Read Performance: Up to 2,000K IOPS
- Random Write Performance: Up to 2,640K IOPS
- Capacity: 4TB utilizing 8th generation 1Tb V NAND
- Form Factor: M.2 22x42 (Dual sided PCB)
To achieve high capacity in a 22x42mm footprint, Samsung integrated a dual sided PCB design that includes both V NAND and dedicated DRAM. The presence of DRAM in AI applications enables systems to maintain their speed during random access and large data transfers while keeping latency values low.
The PM9E1 uses security measures to defend against data verification delays which threaten system performance. The controller supports Security Protocol and Data Model (SPDM) v1.2. The standard provides two essential functions:
- Device Authentication: Ensuring only verified hardware connects to the system.
- Firmware Attestation: Verifying the integrity of the drive's software.
- Secure Channels: Certificate based encryption for component level data interchange.
The PM9E1 currently enters mass production after receiving NVIDIA DGX Spark certification. The storage system uses its M.2 22x42 form factor together with its high power efficiency to position itself nearer to computing elements. This design lowers thermal demands of the compact desktop AI supercomputer system while preserving optimal signal quality.
