Silicon Motion Launches the Best Performance/Watt PCIe Gen5 SSD Controller at FMS 2024

Rhea-AI Summary

Silicon Motion (SIMO) has unveiled the SM2508, a PCIe Gen5 NVMe 2.0 client SSD controller for AI PCs and gaming consoles. Key features include:

- First PCIe Gen5 client SSD controller using TSMC's 6nm EUV process
- 50% reduction in power consumption compared to 12nm process competitors
- Less than 7W power consumption for the entire SSD
- 1.7x better power efficiency than PCIe Gen4 SSDs
- Up to 70% better efficiency than current PCIe Gen5 offerings
- Supports 8 NAND channels with up to 3,600 MT/s per channel
- Sequential speeds up to 14.5 GB/s (read) and 13.6 GB/s (write)
- Random performance up to 2.5M IOPS

Production ramp of SM2508 is targeted for Q4 2024.

Positive

• Launch of SM2508, a highly power-efficient PCIe Gen5 SSD controller for AI PCs and gaming consoles
• 50% reduction in power consumption compared to 12nm process competitors
• Up to 70% better efficiency than current PCIe Gen5 offerings
• Sequential speeds up to 14.5 GB/s (read) and 13.6 GB/s (write)
• Random performance up to 2.5M IOPS
• Production ramp of SM2508 targeted for Q4 2024

Negative

• None.

Insights

Tech Expert

Silicon Motion's new SM2508 PCIe Gen5 SSD controller marks a significant leap in storage technology. The 50% reduction in power consumption compared to 12nm competitors is a game-changer for AI PCs and gaming consoles. With <7W power consumption for the entire SSD, it's 1.7x more efficient than PCIe Gen4 and 70% better than current Gen5 offerings.

The 14.5 GB/s sequential read and 2.5M IOPS random performance are impressive, doubling Gen4 speeds. The use of TSMC's 6nm EUV process is a key enabler for this efficiency. The controller's support for 8 NAND channels at 3,600 MT/s and compatibility with 3D TLC/QLC NAND positions it well for future storage demands.

This launch could significantly impact the SSD market, potentially accelerating the adoption of Gen5 SSDs in consumer devices, especially as AI capabilities become more prevalent in PCs.

Market Research Analyst

Silicon Motion's SM2508 launch is strategically timed with the rising demand for AI-capable PCs. The focus on power efficiency addresses a critical pain point in high-performance storage. This could give Silicon Motion a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving SSD controller market.

The company's diverse portfolio, including solutions for enterprise, automotive and IoT applications, demonstrates a comprehensive approach to market penetration. The Q4 production ramp for SM2508 aligns well with potential holiday season device launches, which could boost adoption.

Partnerships with major SSD and NAND vendors for SM2508 designs suggest strong industry acceptance. This could translate to significant market share gains if the controller delivers on its promised performance and efficiency. Investors should watch for OEM announcements incorporating this technology in upcoming product lineups.

Financial Analyst

Silicon Motion's launch of the SM2508 could significantly impact its financial performance. As a leader in NAND flash controllers, this product strengthens their competitive position in the high-margin PCIe Gen5 segment. The 50% power reduction and 2x performance increase over Gen4 create a compelling value proposition for OEMs.

The diverse product showcase, including enterprise, automotive and IoT solutions, indicates multiple revenue streams. The MonTitan™ platform for AI storage workloads is particularly noteworthy, potentially opening doors to the lucrative data center market.

Investors should monitor the Q4 production ramp for SM2508 and subsequent design wins. If successful, this could drive revenue growth and margin expansion in 2025. However, the competitive landscape and potential supply chain constraints in the 6nm process should be considered as risk factors.

The Company Also Showcases SSD Solutions for Enterprise, PC, and Automotive AI Applications

TAIPEI and MILPITAS, Calif., Aug. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Motion Technology Corporation (NasdaqGS: SIMO) ("Silicon Motion"), a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, today announced SM2508, the best power efficiency PCIe Gen5 NVMe 2.0 client SSD controller for AI PCs and gaming consoles. It's the world's first PCIe Gen5 client SSD controller using TSMC's 6nm EUV process, offering a 50% reduction in power consumption compared to competitive offerings in the 12nm process. With less than 7W power consumption for the entire SSD, it delivers 1.7x better power efficiency than PCIe Gen4 SSDs and up to 70% better than current competitive PCIe Gen5 offerings on the market. Silicon Motion will be showcasing its SM2508 based SSD design and other innovations during the Future of Memory and Storage event from Aug. 6 to 8 at booth #315:

Silicon Motion's SM2508 is a superior-performance, low-power PCIe Gen5 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD controller designed for AI-capable PC notebooks. It supports eight NAND channels with up to 3,600 MT/s per channel, delivering sequential performance speeds of up to 14.5 GB/s and 13.6 GB/s and random performance speeds of up to 2.5M IOPS, providing up to 2x higher performance than PCIe Gen4 products. The SM2508 maximizes PCIe Gen5 performance with an impressive power consumption of approximately 3W. It features Silicon Motion's proprietary 8th-generation NANDXtend® technology, which includes an on-disk training algorithm designed to reduce ECC timing. This enhancement boosts performance and maximizes power efficiency while ensuring compatibility with the latest 3D TLC/QLC NAND technologies, enabling higher data density and meeting the evolving demands of next-generation AI PCs.

"SSD storage solutions are continuously evolving to meet the new challenges posed by future AI applications, which demand data efficiency and high-performance models," said Nelson Duann, Silicon Motion's Senior VP of Client & Automotive Storage Business. "Our PCIe Gen5 SSD controller, with its best-in-class power efficiency, is designed to satisfy the unique demands of today's AI-capable PCs, delivering high performance and power efficiency to meet the evolving AI PC standards of tomorrow."

The SM2508 specifications include:

• PCIe Gen5 x4, NVMe2.0
• 8 NAND flash channels, up to 3600MT/s
• TSMC's 6nm process    
• Powerful quad-core Arm® Cortex®-R8 CPU supporting four PCIe lanes of 32Gb/s data transfer speed
• Up to 14.5GB/s and 13.6GB/s sequential performance and up to 2.5M IOPS random performance
• Support the latest 3D TLC/QLC NAND

The SM2508 is being designed by multiple major SSD vendors including major NAND vendors.  Production ramp of SM2508 is targeted for Q4 of this year.

Besides the SM2508, the Silicon Motion exhibit will also include:

MonTitan™ PCIe Gen5 Enterprise SSD Development Platform for AI Storage Workloads

• SM8366 : 14 GB/s sequential and 3.5 M IOPS random SSD performance, supporting capacities beyond 128TB with 16 channels providing up to 2400MT/s of TLC and QLC NAND.
• MonTitan™ : Multi-Dimensional QLC-based PCIe Gen5 SSDs: Enabled by FDP and PerformaShape™ technologies to maximize AI Training Pipeline performance.

UFS 4.0 and USB Storage Solutions for AI PCs and AI Smartphones

• SM2756 UFS4.0 controller: 65% more power-efficient than previous-generation UFS 3.1.
• SM2322 USB SSD controller: Double up the capacity of the previous-generation for portable SSDs

Advanced Storage Solutions for AI in Automotive / IoT Edge Applications

• SM2264XT-AT Automotive-grade SSD Controller: 30% less CPU power-consuming than PCIe Gen4 SSD without SR-IOV.
• FerriSSD PCIe Gen 4  NVMe single-chip BGA SSD
• Ferri-eMMC 5.0/5.1
• Ferri-UFS 2.2/3.1

Silicon Motion representatives will also be presenting at FMS forums. For further information, please visit: https://www.siliconmotion.com/events/2024FMS/

About Silicon Motion:

We are the global leader in supplying NAND flash controllers for solid state storage devices. We supply more SSD controllers than any other company in the world for servers, PCs and other client devices and are the leading merchant supplier of eMMC and UFS embedded storage controllers used in smartphones, IoT devices and other applications. We also supply customized high-performance hyperscale data center and specialized industrial and automotive SSD solutions. Our customers include most of the NAND flash vendors, storage device module makers and leading OEMs. For further information on Silicon Motion, visit us at www.siliconmotion.com.

Corporate Media Contact:	Investor Contact:
Minnie Lin,	Tom Sepenzis,
Director of Marketing Communication Department,	E-mail: tsepenzis@siliconmotion.com
Tel: +886 2 2219 6688 x3010,
E-mail: minnie.lin@siliconmotion.com
Sales Contact:
E-mail: service@siliconmotion.com

 

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SOURCE Silicon Motion

FAQ

What is the power consumption of Silicon Motion's SM2508 PCIe Gen5 SSD controller?

The SM2508 PCIe Gen5 SSD controller from Silicon Motion (SIMO) consumes less than 7W of power for the entire SSD, with the controller itself consuming approximately 3W.

How does the SM2508's performance compare to PCIe Gen4 SSDs?

The SM2508 PCIe Gen5 SSD controller from Silicon Motion (SIMO) delivers up to 2x higher performance and 1.7x better power efficiency compared to PCIe Gen4 SSDs.

When is the production ramp of Silicon Motion's SM2508 PCIe Gen5 SSD controller expected?

Silicon Motion (SIMO) is targeting the production ramp of the SM2508 PCIe Gen5 SSD controller for Q4 of 2024.

What are the key features of Silicon Motion's SM2508 PCIe Gen5 SSD controller?

The SM2508 from Silicon Motion (SIMO) is a PCIe Gen5 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD controller using TSMC's 6nm EUV process, supporting 8 NAND channels up to 3,600 MT/s, with sequential speeds up to 14.5 GB/s read and 13.6 GB/s write, and random performance up to 2.5M IOPS.