Swissbit recently announced the launch of power of a new power loss protection (PLP) feature called “powersafe”. It is capable of protecting SSD in an event of sudden power outages. An additional PLP level is used to secure the data from the DRAM to NAND (cached data) or while the data is being transferred from host to controller (Dynamic Data). The use of a tantalum capacitor is one of the key components which makes “powersafe” feature possible.
The company claims that PLP protection is achieved by the use of sophisticated firmware and hardware combinations. During sudden power outages, extra power is provided to the SSDs to safely execute the write commands and flush data. This is achieved by the use of the intelligent power management which is stored in the firmware and ensures that the power supply is safely disconnected from the host upon reaching a critical threshold and is then connected to the regulated voltage of a tantalum capacitor. The company claims that they used tantalum capacitors as it is more reliable than other types of capacitor, moreover the capacitor store enough charge to provide the extra energy to the SSD to safely disconnect.
“Power outages can permanently damage data and consequently be costly. Particularly in an industrial environment, where SSDs are often in operation for more than ten years, we can now offer one of the most advanced PLP features with ‘powersafe’,” explains Roger Griesemer, General Manager of Memory Solutions at Swissbit. “Especially for mission-critical applications where data loss is not an option, we have raised the reliability of our SSDs to a new level.”
According to the company, SATA III SSD X-75 with powersafe is available as an optional feature. X-75 is one of the first products to offer powersafe feature, the model is available in both 2.5” and in the M.2 form factor. The company plans to offer power safe feature in more upcoming products.
