Dual-tier SSDs with TLC and SLC layers from Macronix
15:12, 17.08.2026
Cooperation between IBM’s research center and Taiwanese company Macronix has helped to design a dual-tier SSD. The major design idea is based on the combination of both TLC NAND and SLC NAND in one device.
A Closer Look at the New Approach
The newly created system treats every tier as a separate NVMe device. At the same time, special software is utilized for the information distribution between the tiers. In this approach, the TLC partition will store both “cold” and “warm” information due to its higher capacity. Thus, the SLC partition will store more frequently accessed information, which offers way higher write and read speeds.
Usage of such technology directly impacts the level of performance and reliability. That is possible due to flexible management as well as parallel interaction with various storage tiers.
There is also a possibility of dynamically redistributing capacity among the storage tiers. In this way, the portion of capacity can be utilized in pSLC. This is especially beneficial for high-load projects connected with HPC or AI. Such an approach could potentially replace the standard combination of SSDs and HDDs.
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