Dell is adding a solid state drive (SSD) option to its PowerVault MD1220 array this quarter and it looks like start-up Pliant has won the supply deal.

Dell's product page [1] describing the MD1220 has a hot-linked note in the second paragraph, that says: "Availability of Solid State Drives (SSD’s) on PowerVault MD1220 expected Q1 2010."

A Reg commentator tips us that it is a: "150GB, SAS-1 (300MB/sec) and the only announced 150GB SAS SSD I know of is from Pliant [2]."

We covered Pliant's Lightning LB [3] 150GB, 2.5-inch SAS solid state drive in September. We said then it, "runs at more than 140,00 sustained IOPS, with sustained read and write data transfers of 420MB/sec and 220MB/sec respectively." Later in September Pliant announced a distribution deal with Bell Micro, but no OEM deals have been revealed.

A Dell MD1220 pdf brochure [4] says the MD1220 can have 2.5-inch 6GB SAS hard drives or SSDs, indicating this will be a 6Gbit/s SAS II interface SSD product.

Pliant told us in September that SAS II interface products could be expected in the middle of this year. SAS II will be backwards-compatible with 3Gbit/s SAS 1.

Both Pliant and Dell are members of the Storage Networking Industry Association's (SNIA) Solid State Storage Initiative (SSSI).

If this design win is real, then it is a hugely significant win by Pliant and should open up more opportunities for it in the storage industry. Neither Dell nor Pliant were immediately able to comment. ®

Links

1. http://www1.euro.dell.com/uk/en/enterprise/Storage/powervault-md1220/pd.aspx?refid=powervault-md1220&s=pad&cs=RC1050265
2. http://www.plianttechnology.com/
3. http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2009/09/14/pliant_sas_ssd/
4. http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/pvaul/en/powervault_md_family_brochure.pdf

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