Pure Storage launches flash storage modules combining Intel Optane performance with QLC capacity.

Pure Storage expanded its all-flash storage array line on Tuesday with two distinct product introductions: the DirectMemory Modules, which combine Intel Optane storage-class memory with Pure Storage's DirectMemory Cache software to boost performance, and the FlashArray//C, a new capacity-optimized line featuring low-cost QLC flash technology. The dual expansion was unveiled at Pure Storage's Pure Accelerate 2019 conference in Austin, Texas, alongside additional artificial intelligence capabilities for its AIRI platform designed with Nvidia and expanded multi-cloud capabilities. Matt Kixmoeller, vice president of strategy for the Mountain View, Calif.-based company, described the announcement as "the next step in the evolution of memory technology that has been going on for the last 10 years."

The DirectMemory Modules plug directly into Pure Storage's FlashArray//70 and FlashArray//90 flagship high-performance all-flash arrays to deliver significant performance improvements for applications such as online transaction processing and online analytical processing. According to Kixmoeller, the modules cut storage latency by between 25 percent and 50 percent and reduce CPU utilization by up to 25 percent. The software allows the modules to integrate seamlessly with existing arrays: "The DirectMemory Modules can slot right into the FlashArrays to provide an immediate performance boost. There's no configuration needed. It acts like a read cache for the arrays. Eighty percent of arrays will get at least a 20 percent lower latency, and 40 percent will get a 30 to 50 percent lower latency." Kixmoeller highlighted a key application advantage, stating that SAP HANA can achieve 90 percent of the performance of host memory with the DirectMemory Modules at 65 percent less expensive price.

The FlashArray//C targets capacity-heavy applications where performance is not critical, making the all-flash data center economically viable for the first time. Utilizing low-cost QLC flash, the FlashArray//C represents what Kixmoeller called "the industry's first capacity-optimized all-flash array." Performance differs significantly from other Pure Storage models: while the FlashArray//X operates in the hundreds of microseconds range, the FlashArray//C operates in the 2-millisecond to 4-millisecond range, representing a five-time to 10-time performance difference in terms of latency. The array starts with a minimum capacity of 1 Petabyte and scales to up to 5 Petabytes in a 9U footprint.

The FlashArray//C targets applications including lower-cost disaster recovery, test and development environments, and VM tiering, with VMware storage policy-based management tools enabling automatic migration of applications between FlashArray//X and FlashArray//C arrays based on performance requirements. Mark Gonzalez, regional vice president of sales at ePlus, a Herndon, Va.-based Pure Storage channel partner, characterized the new offering as a game-changer, noting that customers seek "the reliability, lower power consumption, and performance of flash at a lower cost than disk storage." Both the DirectMemory Modules and the FlashArray//C became available starting the week of the Pure Accelerate 2019 conference.