Network Storage

Chemists create molecular magnet, boosting data storage by 100x

Scientists at The University of Manchester have designed a molecule that can remember magnetic information at the highest temperature ever recorded for this kind of material. In a boon for the future of data storage technologies, the researchers have made a new single-molecule magnet that retains its magnetic memory up to 100 Kelvin (-173 °C) – around the temperature of the moon at night. The finding, published in the journal Nature, is a significant advancement on the previous record of 80 Kelvin (-193 °C). While still a long way from working in a standard freezer, or at room temperature, data storage at 100 Kelvin could be feasible in huge data centres, such as those used by Google. If perfected, these single-molecule magnets could pack vast amounts of information into incredibly small spaces – possibly more than three terabytes of data per square centimetre. That’s around half a million TikTok videos squeezed into a hard drive that’s the size of a postage stamp. The research was led by The University of Manchester, with computational modelling led by the Australian National University (ANU). David Mills, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at The University of Manchester, comments, “This research showcases the power of chemists to deliberately design and build molecules with targeted properties. The results are an exciting prospect for the use of single-molecule magnets in data storage media that is 100 times more dense than the absolute limit of current technologies. “Although the new magnet still needs cooling far below room temperature, it is now well above the temperature of liquid nitrogen (77 Kelvin), which is a readily available coolant. So, while we won’t be seeing this type of data storage in our mobile phones for a while, it does make storing information in huge data centres more feasible.” Magnetic materials have long played an important role in data storage technologies. Currently, hard drives store data by magnetising tiny regions made up of many atoms all working together to retain memory. Single-molecule magnets can store information individually and don’t need help from any neighbouring atoms to retain their memory, offering the potential for incredibly high data density. But, until now, the challenge has always been the incredibly cold temperatures needed in order for them to function. The key to the new magnets’ success is the unique structure, with the element dysprosium located between two nitrogen atoms. These three atoms are arranged almost in a straight line – a configuration predicted to boost magnetic performance, but now realised for the first time. Usually, when dysprosium is bonded to only two nitrogen atoms it tends to form molecules with more bent or irregular shapes. In the new molecule, the researchers added a chemical group called an alkene that acts like a molecular pin, binding to dysprosium to hold the structure in place. The team at the Australian National University developed a new theoretical model to simulate the molecule’s magnetic behaviour to allow them to explain why this particular molecular magnet performs so well compared to previous designs. Now, the researchers will use these results as a blueprint to guide the design of even better molecular magnets.

Kioxia broadens portfolio with data centre NVMe SSDs

Kioxia, a Japanese memory manufacturer, formerly the memory business of Toshiba, today announced the development and demonstration of a prototype of its new Kioxia CD9P Series PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs. These are the latest SSDs built with Kioxia’s 8th generation BiCS FLASH TLC-based 3D flash memory. BiCS FLASH features CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) technology, an architecture that the company claims 'boosts power efficiency, performance, and storage density, while doubling the capacity available per SSD compared with the previous generation model.' As GPU-accelerated AI servers drive up the demands on storage infrastructure, maintaining high throughput, low latency, and consistent performance is critical - including keeping GPUs highly utilised. Kioxia claims its CD9P Series is purpose-built for these environments and that it delivers the speed and responsiveness required by AI, machine learning, and high-performance computing workloads. The CD9P Series leverages Kioxia’s 3D flash memory, featuring a CBA-based architecture that aims to reduce heat generation and enhance thermal management. The company says that the drives deliver 4-corner performance improvements of up to approximately 125% in random write, 30% in random read, 20% sequential read, and 25% in sequential write speeds compared to the previous generation. Furthermore, it claims that performance per watt of power consumption has improved by approximately 60% in sequential read, 45% in sequential write, 55% in random read, and 100% in random write - regarding the 15.36 terabyte model specifically. Whilst preliminary and subject to change, some features of the Kioxia CD9P Series SSD include:• PCIe 5.0, NVMe 2.0, NVMe-MI 1.2c compliant.• Open Compute Project Datacenter NVMe SSD specification v2.5 support. (Not all requirements.)• Form factors: 2.5-inch 15 mm thickness, EDSFF E3.S.• Read-intensive (1 DWPD) and mixed-use (3 DWPD) endurances.• Sequential performance (128 KiB/QD32) - 14.8 GB/s Read and 7 GB/s Write.• Random performance (4KiB) - 2,600 KIOPS (QD512) Read and 750 KIOPS (QD32) Write.• 2.5-inch capacities up to 61.44 TB and E3.S capacities up to 30.72 TB.• CNSA 2.0 algorithm support. "Achieving power efficiency, whilst addressing the increasing demand for all data processing challenges for AI, machine learning, or high-performance computing, is possibly the most pressing issue today and in the future," argues Axel Stoermann, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Embedded Memory and SSD, Kioxia. "At Kioxia, we are already addressing this need by offering the CD9P Series, a leading power efficiency, high-performance solution delivering speed and responsiveness for high workloads and optimum operation." Kioxia CD9P Series SSDs are now sampling to select customers and will be showcased at HPE Discover 2025, taking place 23-26 June in Las Vegas, USA. For more from Kioxia, click here.

Pure Storage and SK Hynix announce collaboration

Pure Storage, a provider of data storage technology and services, today announced a collaboration with SK Hynix, a South Korean semiconductor company, to deliver QLC flash storage products that aim to meet the high-capacity, energy efficient requirements for data-intensive hyperscaler environments. Modern data centres require solutions that can provide high storage density capabilities without sacrificing performance or energy efficiency. Data bottlenecks can lead to decreased productivity and high energy costs, affecting overall company performance. Traditional storage solutions such as hard disk drives (HDDs) have limitations as they are unable to handle the high-capacity, data-intensive workloads of hyperscale data centres in the AI era. Pure Storage intend to deliver future DirectFlash Module products with SK Hynix’s QLC NAND flash memory that will be purpose-built for demanding hyperscaler environments. Benefits could include: • Sustained High Performance — Integrating Pure Storage's data storage platform with SK Hynix's QLC NAND technology to enable low-latency solutions geared towards exascale, data-intensive workloads. • Increased Energy Efficiency — Collaborating to provide lower energy consumption, helping customers overcome power availability constraints, lower operating costs, and decrease an organisation's overall carbon footprint. • Improved Scalability & TCO — The combined solution seeks to provide highly rack-dense and scalable systems. “This collaboration with SK Hynix is an exciting step in our mission to deliver superior all-flash storage technology to hyperscalers. By combining SK Hynix's advanced QLC products with Pure Storage’s host-based flash management architecture, we can deliver an optimised solution for the hyperscale production environment and AI infrastructure,” says Bill Cerreta, GM, Hyperscale, Pure Storage. “Hyperscalers are constantly searching for data storage technology that doesn’t limit their potential innovation, but propels it to unforeseen levels. SK Hynix's NAND technology, combined with Pure Storage's robust platform, presents a formidable option for data centre operators focused on maximizing performance, efficiency, and scalability. Together, we are empowering hyperscale environments to tackle burgeoning data volumes with cutting-edge, sustainable storage solutions,” comments Sam Lee, EVP, Head of Global Sales and Marketing, SK Hynix. For more from Pure Storage, click here.

AI set to supercharge cyber threats by 2027

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has released a landmark cyber threat assessment, warning that rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) will make cyber attacks more frequent, effective and harder to detect by 2027. The digital divide between organisations with the resources to defend against digital threats, and those without, will inevitably increase.  Published on the opening day of CYBERUK, the UK’s flagship cyber security conference, the report outlines how both state and non-state actors are already exploiting AI to increase the speed, scale and sophistication of cyber operations. Generative AI is enabling more convincing phishing attacks and faster malware development. This significantly lowers the barrier to entry for cyber crime and cyber intelligence. Of particular concern is the rising risk to the UK’s democratic processes, Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and commercial sectors. Advanced language models and data analysis capabilities are used to craft highly persuasive content, resulting in more frequent attacks that are difficult to detect.  Andy Ward, SVP International at Absolute Security, says, “While AI offers significant opportunities to bolster defences, our research shows 54% of CISOs feel unprepared to respond to AI-enabled threats. That gap in readiness is exactly what attackers will take advantage of." "To counter this, businesses must go beyond adopting new tools - they need a robust cyber resilience strategy built on real-time visibility, proactive threat detection, and the ability to isolate compromised devices at speed.” This latest warning forms part of the UK Government’s wider cyber strategy after announcing the new AI Cyber Security Code of Practice earlier this year. This will form the basis of a new global standard to secure AI and ensure national security keeps pace with technological evolution, safeguarding the country against emerging digital threats. For more from NCSC click here.

Innodisk launches SSD series for data centre applications

Innodisk, an industrial-grade flash storage provider, has announced the launch of its latest PCIe Gen5 SSD series, which is designed to meet the OCP Data Centre NVMe SSD spec v2.0 and the increasing demands of AI model training, big data analytics, and data-intensive environments. The new series supports multiple form factors, including U.2, as well as EDSFF E1.S, E3.S, and the brand new E3.L for data centre applications, catering to the diverse needs of enterprise and data centre environments. Innodisk tells us that the new series marks a new chapter for the company in terms of further fulfilling enterprise demands. The Innodisk PCIe Gen5 SSD, built with the latest PCIe Gen 5 x4 interface and NVMe 2.0 protocol, is designed to overcome the speed and latency limitations of traditional storage interfaces. With up to 128TB of high density NAND storage, it delivers speeds of up to 14GB/s (read) and 10GB/s (write), enabling lightning-fast data transfers for data-intensive applications. Enterprise data centres managing large-scale storage deployments and multi-tiered environments often require out-of-band and batch management capabilities, which present growing challenges. Innodisk PCIe Gen5 SSD addresses these demands with NVMe-MI for streamlined SSD management and multi namespace support, ensuring scalable and efficient storage operations. To ensure high quality and alignment with market trends, the PCIe Gen5 SSD aims to enhance integration with industry-leading data centre standards, such as OCP Data Centre NVMe SSD spec v2.0. Additionally, it is intended to be built for seamless integration with VMware, optimising compatibility with virtualisedenvironments and overall system performance. Innodisk’s PCIe Gen5 SSD also features advanced security mechanisms, ensuring robust data protection and seamless integration. Secure Boot technology authenticates digital signatures during firmware updates, preventing unauthorised modifications and ensuring that only trusted firmware is executed.

Pure Storage and Micron expand collaboration

Pure Storage, an IT company that delivers advanced data storage technology and services, today announced the expansion of its strategic collaboration with Micron Technology, a global provider of memory and storage solutions. This collaboration enables the high-capacity and energy-efficient solutions that hyperscalers require using Micron G9 QLC NAND for future DirectFlash Module products. The joint effort continues a decade-long initiative of integrating Micron’s latest NAND technology with Pure Storage products, which spans seven generations and includes the Micron G8 QLC NAND qualified for production in Pure Storage’s 150TB DirectFlash Module. Combined with Pure Storage’s advanced data storage platform, the solution delivers a data storage offering with massive drive capacities, high performance, and low latency - while driving architectural simplification and delivering significant energy efficiency improvements. In modern data centres, three critical concerns factor into every storage system - energy efficiency, storage density, and performance. Data centres consume tremendous amounts of power, which is why energy-efficient solutions are critical to managing both operational expenses and the impact on the environment. Additionally, as data centres grow, they remain space-constrained, making every square foot valuable. Operators are continuously challenged to fit more storage into less space. Meanwhile, storage performance is even more important as a competitive advantage because consumers of data centre services expect faster data processing, as the rush to turn data into insights accelerates. Pure Storage and Micron are collaborating to deliver a winning total cost of ownership option versus legacy hard drive-based storage offerings for hyperscalers. The collaboration provides the following benefits: • Improved performance, lower latency: The combination of Pure Storage’s data storage platform with Micron’s advanced NAND technology with strong transfer rates provides ultrafast, low-latency, and reliable services for massive, data-intensive workloads.• Sustainability: This joint solution dramatically reduces the energy consumption over traditional storage options, lowering operating costs and reducing the environmental footprint.• Rack-dense, scalable options: By integrating Micron’s NAND that offers areal density (bits per square millimetre), Pure Storage can deliver highly scalable systems at a reduced total cost of acquisition and ownership.“Pure Storage’s collaboration with Micron is another example of our significant momentum bringing the benefits of all-flash storage technology to hyperscale environments,” says Bill Cerreta, General Manager, Hyperscale, Pure Storage. “With Micron’s advanced NAND technology, Pure Storage can further optimise storage scalability, performance, and energy efficiency for an industry with unparalleled requirements.” “Micron’s advanced NAND technologies, combined with Pure’s innovative storage solutions, enable data centre operators to address the increasing performance, efficiency, and scalability needs for today’s hyperscale data centres,” adds Jeremy Werner, SVP & GM, Storage Business Unit, Micron. “Built on trust and thriving on innovation, our collaboration with Pure Storage consistently offers cutting-edge storage solutions for hyperscale and enterprise environments.” For more from Pure Storage, click here.

Pure Storage modernises IT infrastructure for AC Milan

Pure Storage, an IT expert that delivers advanced data storage technologies and services, has announced the modernisation of the IT infrastructure of AC Milan, one of the world’s most historic football clubs. The club recognised the potential of technology to help it achieve two strategic goals – delivering the best fan experience possible through online content, and providing the team with data and AI to enhance club performance. At the centre of AC Milan’s fan engagement is its Media House, through which video and social content is produced and delivered. It also supplies critical data to the club’s training centre. The total number of employees and output has risen at the Media House over a three-year period and, as a result, unstructured data volumes had also dramatically increased. Siloed teams, together with a legacy data storage system that was incapable of operating efficiently, posed significant barriers to progress. By adopting the Pure Storage platform, AC Milan gained a powerful, efficient, and secure storage infrastructure that has underpinned its technology transformation initiative. Benefits include: • Fast and Reliable, Low Latency Data Storage: With the Pure Storage Platform, AC Milan can now manage large volumes of unstructured data across multiple sites with very low latency, resulting in major productivity improvements. The Media House team now benefits from 10 times faster content production and delivery. This has helped AC Milan reach over 500 million global fans through enhanced digital experiences.• Enhanced Data Security and Ransomware Protection: AC Milan recognises the importance of data resilience, deploying Pure Storage ActiveDR to achieve near zero Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) metrics. Additionally, Pure Storage SafeMode Snapshots take copies of data which, in the event of a cyber attack, can’t be deleted, modified, or encrypted, mitigating the impact of a ransomware attack.• A Platform for Cutting-Edge AI Innovation: Video footage of training sessions, stored on the Pure Storage Platform, can be analysed using AI, together with player data captured via sensors with the aim of improving performance. Additionally, AC Milan is developing a data lake composed of players’ medical and performance data with the same goal. Maurizio Bonomi, Information Technology Director, AC Milan, says, “Our team’s mission is to support the club and the business across all departments so that we’re achieving excellence on and off the pitch. Pure helped AC Milan modernise our Media House so that content can be delivered across multiple platforms in one-tenth of the time that it used to take. The project has been a great success and has marked a new step in our ongoing evolution into a media company.” Joao Silva, VP EMEA & Latin America, Pure Storage, adds, “We’re thrilled to support AC Milan in its mission to transform the way it connects with fans, and its highly innovative use of AI to improve all-round player performance. The club’s legacy storage couldn’t keep up with its modern, innovative data demands. AC Milan’s Pure Storage platform meets their complex needs. These are cutting-edge initiatives that showcase how the delivery of real time content and AI can benefit football clubs and the welfare of their players.” For more from Pure Storage, click here.

Underinvestment blamed for IT security compliance failures

Companies are failing to achieve continuous IT security compliance because they are allowing their procurement processes to become outdated, according to new research from Vertice, a SaaS and cloud spend optimisation platform. Vertice surveyed 300 global procurement leaders to rate their business purchasing processes across seven key areas, and to also rate their ability to maintain continuous IT compliance - and discovered a clear correlation between an organisation’s procurement maturity and the businesses’ security. Vertice's Procurement Impact Report reveals that businesses with an optimised and automated procurement function see a 20% improvement in achieving compliance compared to those with manual and decentralised processes. Alarmingly, only one in six (18%) companies have made the necessary improvements, which include adding automated internal and external compliance checks to procurement request intake forms, along with pre-approved suppliers and intelligently adding suitable compliance stakeholders to the approval process. Meanwhile the remaining 82% of businesses - whose procurement processes are instead manual, undefined and inconsistent - all struggle to maintain continuous IT and security compliance. The findings also indicate that procurement leaders are struggling to control shadow IT without intelligent procurement processes in place, with 30% reporting that employees frequently bypass IT and procurement checks to adopt new suppliers. This issue is particularly prevalent in the US, where over one-third (34%) of leaders worry that maverick spending will become increasingly challenging unless their procurement functions are modernised. Vertice’s report discovered that the US is significantly lagging behind the UK, with almost half (44%) of businesses in the lowest maturity levels, whereas two-thirds (67%) of UK businesses are in the more advanced stages of procurement maturity with more reliance on automation, AI and integrations. Despite the significant benefits that procurement maturity brings to companies, many leaders are facing a growing number of risks and challenges when establishing high-performing procurement functions. Worryingly, 37% of respondents say that procurement is not a strategic priority versus other initiatives, and 35% say their organisation is not willing to invest in the skills to tackle the issue. Eldar Tuvey, CEO and Founder of Vertice, says, “Procurement is an important catalyst to business compliance; the secret weapon that often goes unnoticed. Quick, intelligent, integrated processes can equip teams faster, and without compromising safety and compliance. But most procurement departments have been unable to mature their outdated, manual processes, throttling the businesses’ progress and putting compliance at risk.” Among other benefits, Vertice’s research found that businesses with the most advanced procurement processes are: • 34% faster to deploy innovative projects• 29% faster in bringing new products and services to market• 27% more efficient than their peers• 22% more effective in controlling budgets (Compared to those relying on manual, decentralised and reactive processes). To help procurement teams accelerate their maturity, deliver strategic impact quicker and support compliance better, Vertice today launched Intelligent Workflows, a procurement orchestration tool built to simplify and accelerate purchasing processes, and ease the manual burden on busy procurement teams. Intelligent Workflows introduces smart, pre-emptive decision-making into the procurement process - including automated pre-approvals and routing, and simplified but accurate compliance - and also granular control and visibility into every ongoing purchase, renewal and intake. Eldar continues, “Modern procurement teams’ roles are increasingly broad and complex. And in fast-growing or rapidly-changing businesses, procurement processes aren’t always keeping up - meaning procurement teams are finding themselves filling in the gaps manually. It’s a step back for procurement when the business is trying to make leaps forward. “Intelligent Workflows is the boost these teams need. Our new procurement orchestration tool brings automation and intelligence to the purchasing process, by eliminating manual approval routing and re-routing, anticipating bottlenecks, and reducing the daily workload for procurement teams - all while improving control and speed of outcomes. For more from Vertice, click here.

SINES data centre partners with Siemens

Start Campus, a company focused on designing, building and operating a new generation of sustainable data centres, has announced a landmark order for transformers from Siemens Energy to power its SIN02-06 buildings - which it says is a key milestone in delivering its 1.2 GW SINES data centre campus in Portugal. This high-demand, long-lead-time equipment - representing over €20m (£16.9m) of investment - will support the construction and fit-out of the second building of SINES DC (SIN02) and underpin its delivery timetable (it's due to be ready for service in 2026). SIN02 will provide its customers with access to up to 180 MW of IT capacity with reliability and redundancy at competitive power prices. This order solidifies the partnership between Siemens Energy and Start Campus, which began with the deployment of market-leading power equipment for SIN01. It also underscores the shared commitment to driving innovation and ensuring the delivery of reliable, sustainable energy solutions in the data centre industry. Rob Dunn, Chief Executive Officer of Start Campus, says, "Placing this order with Siemens Energy highlights our unwavering commitment to meet the growing demands of our customers and deliver on our promises while setting new industry standards. We deeply value Siemens Energy’s support in powering SIN01 and are pleased to strengthen this successful partnership as we advance the campus. Driving the data centre industry forward requires trusted, committed partners like Siemens Energy, and together, we're making it happen." Mark Pilling, Vice President Grid Solutions for Europe and Africa at Siemens Energy, adds, “Data centres power our digital world, and as demand for data and electricity grows, stable access to electricity is crucial. Start Campus’ investment in sustainability is a vital step towards a greener, more connected future. Together with Start Campus, we are committed to advancing the development of critical digital infrastructure that meets the evolving needs of the data centre industry and sets new benchmarks at large scale.” In addition to this significant development for SIN02-06, SIN01 is set to be operational by Q4 2024 with an initial 14 MW of IT capacity. In direct response to the requirements of its customers and, through the use of liquid cooling technologies, its capacity is being expanded to 26 MW. For more from Start Campus, click here.

BCS responds to Chancellor's speech on data centres

John Booth, a data centre expert from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, has given his reaction to the new Chancellor's speech regarding data centres and lifting the ban on onshore wind. John comments, “We welcome the announcement by the Chancellor (Rachel Reeves) on a review of planning permission for digital infrastructure, including data centres. But we should not lose sight of the UK’s net zero ambitions and climate goals. We would advise a strategic approach using a spatial strategy to locate data centres outside the South East (i.e. around London), where the tech giants are based. Allowing data centres to be built on the green belt will not be sufficient; significant investment in the grid and distribution networks will also be required. “Whilst placing data centres near cities makes sense given the amount of time it takes for data to travel from one place to another, the government should also prioritise looking further afield to areas with more space, cooler temperatures, and abundant power resources. “Planning permission should include enhanced energy efficiency and sustainability requirements, including the use of recovered heat and replicating existing EU legislation regarding reporting energy and environmental data. “Lifting the ban on onshore wind is a positive move. However, location is important to easily connect the energy generated to the infrastructure - the national grid. This must be a central consideration. “In addition, the sector faces a skills shortage in construction and operations, and additional investment in training and skills will be required.” The new Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, assumed her position on 5 July 2024.