SCIENCE

SMART Modular Technologies announced the Xcel-200 2.5" SATA solid state drive (SSD). The Xcel-200 is the latest in a robust line of products from SMART Storage Systems, recently re-branded by SMART to emphasize its exclusive focus on solid-state storage solutions.

Building on the success of SMART Storage Systems' long line of SSD products for the defense industry, the Xcel-200 SSD delivers performance metrics of 500MB/s sequential read/write speeds and up to 60K/40K random read/write IOPS. The Xcel-200 is available in capacities ranging from 60 to 240GB, using highly reliable single-level-cell (SLC) NAND Flash.

A host of reliability features are built into the Xcel-200. A backup power circuit comprised of high-reliability capacitors prevents data loss in the event of unplanned power interruptions. An internal flash redundancy feature provides protection against flash block failures and increases the uncorrectable bit error rate (UBER) to 1x10(-18). The error correction capability of the Xcel-200 allows it to correct up to 55 bits for every 512 byte sector. End-to-end cyclic redundancy check (CRC) protection guards against data corruption along the entire data path.

The new Xcel-200 SSD offers customers two separate and complimentary levels of data security. The ATA-8 Security Erase function makes it possible to completely erase all user data from the drive. In addition, all user data stored on the Xcel-200 SSD is automatically encrypted with AES 256-bit encryption. Deletion of the encryption key takes less than 1 second, rendering all encrypted data useless.

"With the Xcel-200, our engineering teams were able to blend the best elements of our enterprise and defense products," said John Scaramuzzo, President of SMART Storage Systems. "Specifically, the new Xcel-200 combines the high performance achieved with our enterprise-grade SSD products, the ruggedness and security of our defense products, and the logistical and technical support that SMART is known for around the world."

The Xcel-200 was designed and tested per MIL-STD-810 to operate in high shock and vibration applications at industrial operating temperatures of -40 degreesC to +85 degreesC. It is also certified for operation at altitudes up to 80,000 ft.

The Xcel-200 SSDs will be sampling in November 2011 and available in production volume in 1Q 2012.