FREMONT, Calif. — The data storage company Seagate Technology is adding a controller with second-generation AMD processors for data center workloads to its line of converged storage devices.
Seagate’s Exos Application Platform (AP) is available this month with the new controller and AMD EPYC CPU, according to the company last month.
The Exos AP devices with the AP-BV-1 controller are intended to offer “exceptional” compute and storage performance in one chassis.
With dual AMD EPYC CPU-based controllers, the device can deliver high availability or controller partitioning, with the flexibility of a common controller slot allowing connection to additional EXOS E SAS hard disk drive (HDD) expansion units. The architecture is balanced for current and future CPUs and drive capacities.
AMD EPYC CPUs are designed to “support the need for advanced storage solutions,” Seagate said. The processors can feature core counts of 8, 12, or 16 for varying performance. They also provide dedicated PCIe 4 lanes that deliver 200 GbE network connectivity and high bandwidth to the SAS controller for HDD and solid-state drive (SSD) response.
Seagate developed the Exos AP to deliver integrated compute and storage in a single enclosure, optimizing rack space utilization, power efficiency, heat dissipation, and storage density.
Enterprise data is expected to grow at an average rate of 42.2% over the next two years, according to the 2020 report “Rethink Data” by Seagate and IDC. The report also shows that 32% of data available to enterprises is “put to work.”
“Data is often discarded because the cost of keeping it is immediate, despite significant potential future payoffs,” said Ken Claffey, SVP of systems, Seagate.
The Exos AP with the AMD EPYC CPU-based controller can help IT pros build a cost-effective data management strategy that captures, stores, and analyzes data today and “leverages it in the future to drive success,” Claffey said.
“Combining the processors’ high performance and formidable I/O connectivity capabilities and Seagate’s industry-leading mass data expertise, creates a solution that delivers flexibility and performance, while helping enterprise customers improve TCO,” said Rajneesh Gaur, corporate VP and GM of the embedded business unit, AMD.