BitMicro plans 5TB SSDs with TALINO-DE controller

Solid-state storage specialist BitMicro Networks, in partnership with Global Unichip, has announced the taping-out of a third-generation SSD controller which it claims will lead to 5TB SSDs in a single form factor.

Dubbed TALINO-DE (Translation and Linking of Input-Output Nodes - Device Edition,) the next-generation controller uses multiple processors, a proprietary data moving technology and high-speed serial on-chip buses to enable hundreds of individual flash chips to be accessed in parallel. The result: SSDs that are both significantly faster and a lot more capacious than anything that has come before.

The controller's design includes in-built support for the most common input-output standards including SATA, SAS and PCI Express, meaning those opting to use TALINO-DE in their designs don't need an additional bridge chip or third-party IO controller as part of their design.

While full performance characteristics have yet to be released, BitMicro claims that the design scales to over 400,000 random 4KB block write transactions per second - IOPS - while providing support for up to 5TB of flash storage in a single device.

'The combination of Global Unichip's PCIe, SATA, SAS PHY IP products and the broad scope of their flexible SoC design services, manufacturing capabilities and strong relationship with TSMC gave us no reason to hold back in our designs,' claimed BitMicro chief executive Rey Bruce at the launch announcement. 'From the start, we are confident the TALINO-DE controller will create a huge impact in the storage industry. Backed by GUC's world-class testing facilities, we know they are the most viable option for us.'

Promising support for ONFi, Toggle Mode DDR SLC, MLC, eMLC and NAND SLC flash chips, BitMicro's TALINO-DE controller is expected to hit the market in small-scale product launches in the second quarter of this year as part of the company's E-Disk product line.

Sadly, there is a slight catch: with BitMicro aiming its products firmly at enterprise-level customers, it's likely to be quite some time before you'll be putting a TALINO-DE-powered 5TB SSD in your next gaming PC.

Are you pleased to see companies working on expanding the capacity of solid-state storage devices, or will it take a commercially available product - at an affordable price - before you start jumping for joy? Share your thoughts over in the forums.