ExaDrive vs. HDD in the data center
ExaDrive has eclipsed nearline HDDs in capacity, and there is little evidence that HDD vendors will ever catch up. Higher density equates to lower power per TB and lower server/software costs. ExaDrive, of course, crushes HDDs on performance.
| w/64 TB ExaDrive | w/20 TB HDD | ExaDrive Advantages | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity per Rack U | 1.44 PB | 0.4 PB | 3.6x higher density |
| Power per TB | 0.23 W | 0.71 W | 67% lower power |
| Access Time | < 0.1 ms | 15 ms | 150x faster access |
| Random IO / TB (4 KB) | 1,563 IOps | 11 IOps | 142x more IOps |
| Workload Rating | 0.2 – 0.6 DWPD | 0.07 DWPD | ~4x more reliable |
| Weight per TB | 6.3 grams | 38.3 grams | 84% lighter / TB |
ExaDrive vs. enterprise SATA SSDs
Existing SATA SSDs top out at 8 TB, offering limited capacity for large data workloads. At the same time, existing SATA SSDs often lack in-flight data protection. ExaDrive DC is the world’s highest capacity enterprise-grade SATA SSD.
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | 2.5″ | 2.5″ | 2.5″ | 2.5″ | 3.5″ |
| Capacity Range | 1 TB to 8 TB | 1 TB to 8 TB | 1 TB to 8 TB | 1 TB to 8 TB | 16 TB to 100TB |
| Lowest Power / TB | 0.90 W | 0.60 W | 0.50 W | 1.1 W | 0.15 W |
ExaDrive DC vs. enterprise HDDs
Nearline HDDs are inexpensive but are very slow and offer less capacity than ExaDrive. While HDD media may not have a firm endurance limit, HDD motors do (550 TB / year according to all three HDD vendors), and that affects overall reliability.
| |
 |
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Capacity | 20 TB | 20 TB | 20 TB | 100 TB |
| Lowest Power / TB | 0.60 W / TB | 0.60 W / TB | 0.60 W / TB | 0.15 W / TB |
| Weight / TB | 41.9 g / TB | 45.0 g / TB | 38.3 g / TB | 5.9 g / TB |
| Workload Rating | 0.07 DWPD | 0.07 DWPD | 0.07 DWPD | 0.2 – 0.6 DWPD |
ExaDrive DC vs. NVMe in the data center
The 3.5 inch form factor has been refined over decades by enclosure, server, and rack infrastructure companies to provide superior density. By adopting this approach, ExaDrive offers up to 7.5x better density and 80% lower OpEx than NVMe SSDs.
| w/ExaDrive DC | w/NVMe SSD | ExaDrive Advantages | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Density Enclosure | 4U 90-slot 3.5″ | 2U 24-slot 2.5″ | 2x more drives per U |
| Max SSD Capacity | 64 TB | 16 TB | 4x more TB per drive |
| Max Rack Capacity | 63.4 PB | 8.4 PB | 7.5x more capacity |
| Capacity per Rack U | 1.44 PB | 0.2 PB | 7.5x higher density |
| Power per TB | 0.23 W | 1.30 W | 76% lower power |
| TCO per TB | $ | $$ | 50% lower TCO / TB |
