Category: Press Releases

Delivering a Holistic Vision for Modern Data Performance, Phison Becomes the Only Provider to Offer PCIe 5.0, CXL 2.0 Compatible Retimer and Redriver Signal Integrity Solutions and PCIe 5.0 Enterprise SSDs

SAN JOSE, Calif. – October 16, 2023 – Phison Electronics (8299 TT), a global leader in NAND controllers and storage solutions, announced today that the company has expanded its portfolio of PCIe 5.0 high-speed transmission solutions with PCIe 5.0, CXL 2.0 compatible redriver and retimer data signal conditioning IC products. Leveraging the company’s deep expertise in PCIe engineering, Phison is the only signal conditioners provider that offers the widest portfolio of multi-channel PCIe 5.0 redriver and retimer solutions and PCIe 5.0 storage solutions designed specifically to meet the data infrastructure demands of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI+ML), edge computing, high-performance computing, and other data-intensive, next-gen applications. At the 2023 Open Compute Project Global Summit, the Phison team is showcasing its expansive PCIe 5.0 portfolio, demonstrating the redriver and retimer technologies alongside other enterprise NAND flash, illustrating a holistic vision for a PCIe 5.0 data ecosystem to address the most demanding applications of the AI-everywhere era. 

“Phison has focused industry-leading R&D efforts on developing in-house, chip-to-chip communication technologies since the introduction of the PCIe 3.0 protocol, with PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 solutions now in mass production, and PCIe 6.0 solutions now in the design phase,” said Michael Wu, President & General Manager, Phison US. “Phison’s accumulated experience in high-speed signaling enables our team to deliver retimer and redriver design solutions that are optimized for top signal integration, low power usage, and high temperature endurance, to deliver interface speeds for the most challenging compute environments.” 

 

Phison's PCIe 5.0 Retimers PS7201 and PS7202

Emerging high-speed interconnect protocols like PCIe 5.0 and CXL 2.0 are driving the need for a new generation of signal conditioning solutions. Phison's PS7201 and PS7202 retimer solutions are designed to meet the growing demand for data performance, and follow industry standard retimer footprints. Phison retimer solutions also offer distinctive features such as: 

  • Advanced signal enhancement for all PCIe-deployed devices, including NAND flash, GPU, CPU, FPGA, ASIC, DPU, and other accelerator technologies
  • High EQ boosting range up to 42dB
  • Integrated AC coupling capacitors
  • CXL 2.0 compatibility 
  • Low latency of 5ns
  • Hot plug and bifurcation support
  • Pin-to-pin compatibility with competing solutions
  • Protocol awareness accommodates various system configurations, suitable for a wide range of industries and applications
  • The Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) delivers user-friendly diagnostic tool and standard C-SDK to support real-time monitoring for local and remote management and provide users with the utmost confidence in their system's performance

 

Phison’s PCIe 5.0 Redrivers PS7102 and PS7103 with PHiTUNE software

All of Phison’s Redriver solutions are certified by PCI-SIG, the consortium that owns and manages PCI specifications as open industry standards. In addition to Phison’s redriver solutions, Phison is the only provider of a full line of multi-lane redrivers, including: 

  • Advanced signal enhancement for all PCIe-deployed devices
  • Up to 28.5dB equalization range
  • Low latency of 70ps
  • CXL 2.0 compatibility
  • PS7101 2-lane redriver, with Mux/Demux capabilities
  • PS7102 8-channel redriver 
  • PS7103 16-lane redriver
  • Pin to pin compatibility with competing solutions

 

Leveraging the company’s expertise and IP in both PCIe 5.0 signal conditioning and end device PCIe 5.0 NAND flash solutions, Phison is the only provider in the industry to offer its exclusive auto tuning tool PHiTUNE for its redrivers. Pairing Phison’s PHiTUNE software with the Phison E26 PCIe Gen5 SSD, Phison redriver solutions automatically detect recovery counts. The software then uses artificial intelligence to determine the optimal gain parameters to be stored in the Redriver’s onboard non-volatile memory in the customer’s R&D environment. This unique tool enables R&D engineers to collect signal data and conduct signal optimization to find the best parameters for the corresponding environment automatically in about 30 minutes.

Other unique features delivered by Phison redrivers include: 

  • Support for unique I2C modes of operation enables system R&D engineers to independently tune parameters depending on hi/low frequency for different cable or PCB materials to achieve the best compensation for signal attenuation (PS7102 and PS7103)
  • Support for linearity up to 1200mVpp, allowing for more accurate signal transmission and reception than competing products 
  • Phison’s linear swing feature for its redriver solutions reduces waveform disturbances and improves overall signal quality
  • EQ boosting range up to 28.5 dB to provide improved signal extension capabilities in comparison to competing solutions  

 

Industry-leading Partners Converge to Provide a Holistic AI Infrastructure

Already in deployment in both Intel- and AMD-based platforms, Phison partners and customers are expressing excitement about Phison’s PCIe retimer and redriver signal integrity solutions as part of Phison’s wider PCIe 5.0 data ecosystem. 

"Thanks to Phison for providing the exclusive PHiTUNE tool, which enables us to quickly deploy and integrate ASRock Rack motherboards with the Phison PS7101 Redriver IC, ensuring stability and integrity in high-speed signal transmission," said Weishi Sa, President, ASRock Rack. “ASRock Rack has always been committed to providing high-performance and reliable server and workstation systems as well as motherboards. We are delighted that Phison's Redriver IC contributes to achieving this goal in collaboration with ASRock Rack. We look forward to further cooperation between our two companies in the future.”

“Phison’s PCIe 5.0 Redriver IC PS7101 is an exciting high-speed transmission innovation,” said Daniel Hou, CEO of Giga Computing. “It provides servers with more flexible parameters to solve the signal attenuation problem, enabling Giga Computing to offer users a versatile server capable of handling various computational workloads. Through Phison's PHiTUNE tool, we can quickly enhance the support of GIGABYTE’s servers for different PCIe 5.0 components, meeting the requirements for seamless signal transmission and accelerating the launch of our server products. In the future, we also look forward to continued partnership between Giga Computing and Phison.”

If you would like to schedule a meeting with a Phison representative on-site at OCP, go here. To receive PHISON press release or announcement, please register for our IR distribution application form at Phison IR Distribution List.

Category: Press Releases

Phison Demonstrates a Suite of Flash Solutions to Deliver Custom Optimizations for Artificial Intelligence Workloads Across the Global Digital Topography

Phison IMAGIN+ the Possibilities in NAND flash storage at FMS 2023

SAN JOSE, Calif. – August 8, 2023 – Phison Electronics (8299 TT), a global leader in NAND flash and storage solutions, announces a technology demonstration of unique customer-based solutions fully realized through the IMAGIN+ customization service at Flash Memory Summit 2023.

Phison has expanded its IMAGIN+ design service to include AI computational models and AI services solutions. Customers work with specialized Phison teams to design and engineer custom flash deployments that precisely address the data performance and endurance  requirements of next generation products including those highly optimized for aiDAPTIV AI+ML workloads. With IMAGIN+ design services, Phison teams work hand-in-hand with customers to deliver AI-boosted SSD solutions that address demanding requirements.

FMS 2023 imagines the possibilities with Phison’s IMAGIN+ design platform

“At FMS this year, Phison is excited to showcase the IMAGIN+ fully customizable enterprise data performance solutions for PCIe Gen4 and Gen5 and to demonstrate our ultra-fast prosumer SSDs designed for high-IOPS applications,” said Michael Wu, President and General Manager, Phison US. “Whether you are building infrastructure for aiDAPTIV+ML, enterprise data center operations, edge compute, workstation, or gaming, Phison delivers industry-leading, performance-forward solutions for flash deployments. Our solutions offer low- latency and -power for maximum efficiency across a wide variety of use cases.” 

Flash Memory Summit attendees can schedule demonstrations of the following Phison solutions: 

Alliances for AI – IMAGIN+ AI for component manufacturing with GIGABYTE and Adlink 

  • First wave of collaboration between Phison, GIGABYTE, and Adlink
  • Computer vision AI developed by Phison
  • Customized AMD-based workstations by GIGABYTE and edge AI inference platforms by Adlink

Phison X2 - Our first enterprise PCIe Gen5 solution based on TSMC 12nm manufacturing 

  • Capacities up to 64TB RAW NAND
  • Up to 14.7GB/s sequential and industry leading random workload performance
  • Supporting U.2 and E3.S form factors
  • Unique Phison CPU architecture for best-in-class performance and efficient power utilization

E26 – Tune It to the Max14um with the ultimate E26 featuring advanced Frore Systems AirJet Technology 

  • Frore Systems and Phison collaborate to demonstrate the world’s fastest consumer SSD with over 1,000MB/s PCMark 10 Storage Test performance - A world’s first for a NAND-based M.2 SSD
  • Tuned to maximize the full bandwidth of PCIe Gen5 in our most power-efficient, high-performance model ever
  • E26 was built for 2400MT/s NAND and we show you what the potent combination is fully capable of with up to 14.7GB/s performance on tap for the most demanding games, CAD/CAM, and other data intensive workloads

E27T – One for the Road - Delivering on the promise of PCIe Gen4 storage in a highly efficient DRAMless design

  • Delivers on the promise of low-power Gen4 SSD performance for mobile devices
  • Gaming on the go, E27T is optimized for low-power consumption making it the best choice for notebook gaming
  • Business travelers demand low latency but also require long battery life - this is where E27T makes a difference
  • Low power edge compute requires industry leading endurance that is both low cost and highly reliable
  • Supports 2400MT/s and 3600MT/s memory bus - A world’s first for a client DRAMless SSD

The Phison PS5018-E18 pSLC Gen4 NVMe SSD –  Your 100% sustained workload leader 

  • Utilizes premium NAND in pSLC mode to deliver maximum sustained performance and endurance, up to 42 DWPD
  • High sustained read and write speeds for both sequential and random workloads
  • Custom tuning for environments such as AI+ML and RAID
  • Shown with Apex Storage X21 21-drive array used for AI+ML, high-frequency trading, and up to 168TB of data storage


Schedule a demonstration of Phison’s industry-leading flash memory solutions and learn more about its IMAGIN+ customization system, and start to imagine the possibilities with Phison’s IMAGIN+.

Category: Press Releases

San Jose, CA July 17th Phison Electronics (8299 TT), a global leader in NAND controllers and storage solutions, announced today the expansion of its IMAGIN+ service to include AI computational models and AI services solutions. Phison’s aiDAPTIV+ utilizes Phison's innovative integration of SSDs into the AI computing framework and expands NAND storage solutions in the AI application market.

Phison has been a global leader deeply engaged in NAND controller innovations for more than 23 years. In recent years, the company has developed and integrated AI and machine learning technologies into NAND controllers and algorithms to enhance the computational performance and reliability of the company’s NAND storage solutions.

Additionally, Phison has established a data science team, developed and deployed relevant AI technologies, and created a world-class validation laboratory. These efforts have accelerated the adoption of Phison's storage solutions in various applications, including PCs, mobile phones, automobiles, gaming platforms, enterprise data center & edge applications, supply chain logistics, and more.

With the recent rise of large-scale generative AI models such as ChatGPT, the possibilities for artificial intelligence to assist both businesses and individuals in the future are significant. The rapid growth of AI models has also led to a significant increase in the hardware infrastructure cost associated with providing AI services.

The primary reason for increased costs is that current AI models run primarily on GPUs and DRAM. However, the growth rate of future AI models will far exceed the capacity that GPUs and DRAM can provide. According to a recent research report by Microsoft, the growth rate of AI models will soon be 200 times that of DRAM in GPU cards. In other words, the current hardware architecture for AI computing may already be insufficient to meet the future demands of AI applications.

To improve overall operational performance and efficiencies for AI hardware architecture, aiDAPTIV+ integrates SSDs into the AI computing framework. Based on the application timeline, aiDAPTIV+ structurally divides large-scale AI models and collaboratively runs the model parameters with SSD offload support. This approach maximizes the executable AI models within the limited GPU and DRAM resources, effectively reducing the hardware infrastructure cost required to provide AI services.

The initial application scenario for this technology is the world's first mass-produced Artificial Intelligence-Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) system integrated with SSD cooperative computing. Phison’s aiDAPTIV+ AOI services accelerate the transition of Surface Mount Technology (SMT) factories into Industry 4.0 and improve detection accuracy while eliminating delays and costs associated with instability caused by human inspection.

Phison’s aiDAPTIV+ AOI service is applicable to various SMT product lines, including SSDs, graphics cards, DRAM, motherboards, and more. Approximately 10 SMT partners and customers have already successfully adopted the Phison aiDAPTIV+ AOI service, improving the accuracy of their existing AOI systems and reducing the escape rate caused by human errors to below 10 defective parts per million (DPPM), significantly increasing throughput rates to more than 99%.

Initial users are enthusiastic about the results they are seeing upon deployment.

"ADLINK and Phison have had many years of cooperation and synergy in the industrial storage application field, and recently, we have joined forces to expand into the AI application market,” said Ethan Chen, General Manager of Edge Computing Platforms BU at ADLINK Technology. “Phison has integrated AI mechanisms into the design of NAND controllers, enhancing product performance and reliability. Coupled with ADLINK's next-generation NVIDIA Jetson Orin platform, ADLINK and Phison will be able to provide customers in the industrial and AI fields with more complete and reliable solutions. Currently, ADLINK's edge AI inference platforms, DLAP-211-Orin Nano and DLAP-211-Orin NX, have become the first certified edge computing devices for Phison's self-developed aiDAPTIV+ AOI automatic optical inspection system, and we will continue to expand our collaboration in the future."

“Phison’s aiDAPTIV+ architecture integrates SSD technology in an innovative approach. This new structure can significantly reduce the cost of hardware deployment in specific AI applications. The aiDAPTIV+ AOI platform launched by Phison is a concrete result of this new architecture,” said Benny Lan, deputy general manager of Giga Computing. "Giga Computing is pleased to be the first partner with product certification for the aiDAPTIV+AOI platform, which has been successfully deployed in many customers’ SMT production lines using GIGABYTE’s customized workstations and AMD GPUs, which were paired with aiDAPTIV+ computing architecture. This system improved the efficiency in detection of defects and greatly reduced possible human errors. Giga Computing and Phison will continue to expand cooperation in the field of AI applications.”

Dr. Wei Lin, Head of Phison's AI R&D team and Assistant Professor at the College of Artificial Intelligence, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, said Phison's core expertise and competitive advantage is in the development of NAND controllers. Expanding the connection between NAND storage and AI applications has been Phison's focus in recent years. Phison's AI R&D team has successfully integrated SSDs into a newly developed AI computing framework, which not only effectively reduces hardware infrastructure costs for AI servers but also enables the application of this aiDAPTIV+ computing architecture in various AI application scenarios.

The globally pioneering SSD-Boosted aiDAPTIV+ AOI optical inspection system announced today demonstrates Phison's successful integration of SSDs and the creation of a new AI computing framework. Moving forward, Phison will continue to expand the development of aiDAPTIV+ technology and collaborate with partners from various fields to further foster the application of NAND storage in the AI domain. Through the Phison aiDAPTIV+ AOI, Phison aims to assist SMT partners and customers in improving production efficiency and reducing costs.

Phison will invite global ecosystem partners and customers to visit their cutting-edge NAND controllers at the Flash Memory Summit in the United States, which will take place from August 8th to August 10th in Pacific Time. The showcased solutions will include the world's first PCIe 4.0 DRAM-Less client SSD controller PS5027-E27T that supports speeds of up to 3600MT/s for 3D NAND, the world's first PCIe 5.0 DRAM-Less client SSD controller PS5031-E31T, as well as the live demo of Phison's AI service solution, aiDAPTIVE+ AOI. Phison will engage in discussions with global partners and customers to further expand the market for NAND storage applications.

Category: Press Releases

Phison, The World's First Independent Controller Supplier Passes Automotive-SPICE CL3

Phison Electronics (8299 TT), a global leader in NAND controllers and storage solutions, announced today (6/14) that it has passed the Automotive SPICE (ASPICE) Capability Level 3 (CL3). Phison has become the world's first independent controller supplier for eMMC controllers to pass this automotive software/firmware development and verification process.

“Phison has been investing in the development of automotive-grade NAND Controllers for over 10 years and is dedicated to innovating in the automotive storage market,” said C.S. Ma, Vice President of Research and Development of Phison. “The ASPICE CL3 achievement underscores Phison's R&D team’s efforts and demonstrates that Phison's automotive storage solution technology and firmware development process have reached the highest international level required by Tier-1 automakers.”

With the flourishing advancement of innovation in the automotive sector, there has been an accelerated rise in demand for adopting new technologies in automotive chips. Consequently, automakers have become increasingly stringent in their requirements for suppliers, with Automotive SPICE capability levels gradually becoming one of the standard demands from them. This standard integrates the software and firmware development management experiences of the global automotive industry. By defining monitoring and managing related processes during the development stage, it aims to improve the delivery quality of automotive software and firmware products and enhance road safety.

ASPICE is the internationally recognized gold standard for software and firmware development. The ASPICE standard, Capability Level 3 (CL3) is currently the highest requirement for ASPICE known by global automakers. This esteemed level requires not only meeting the necessary work output, having a standardized method to evaluate the performance of each process and manage the work output, and establishing and implementing process tailoring rules based on project attributes and characteristics.

In addition to passing the ASPICE CL3, Phison has also passed the ISO 26262 and AEC-Q100. Furthermore, the manufacturing partners collaborating with Phison have obtained the IATF 16949 certification. Phison is dedicated to adopting the ASPICE standard for automotive eMMC, fostering the development of automotive BGA SSD and UFS, and aims to create a comprehensive automotive storage solution that meets the safety and quality requirements of global automakers that embraces the era of autonomous and electric vehicles.

Category: Press Releases
Phison Showcases Full Range of Storage Solutions and High-Speed Transmission at Computex2023

Phison Electronics (8299 TT), a global leader in NAND controllers and storage solutions, will showcase its high-speed transmission and storage solutions at the annual Taipei International Computer Show (COMPUTEX) in Taiwan. At COMPUTEX, Phison will illuminate the future of intelligent storage. The show kicks off on Tuesday, May 30 through Friday, June 2.

Building upon its globally acclaimed flagship PCIe 5.0 SSD PS5026-E26 storage solution, Phison Electronics will unveil its latest offering at COMPUTEX. The new addition is the PCIe 5.0 DRAM-less SSD controller PS5031-E31T, featuring a 7nm process that ensures low power consumption. With an impressive maximum read/write performance of 10.5GB/s, it represents a PCIe 5.0 SSD storage solution that excels in performance and power efficiency. In addition, Phison will introduce the next-generation PCIe 4.0 DRAM-less SSD controller PS5027-E27T, engineered with a 12nm process and offering a remarkable maximum read/write speed of 7400/6400 MB/s. It is anticipated that the PCIe 5.0 PS5031-E31T and PCIe 4.0 PS5027-E27T SSD storage solutions will comprehensively meet the diverse needs of PC OEM partners and customers.

Phison will also demonstrate the company’s suite of enterprise SSD storage solutions, designed to accommodate the intensive data associated with the rise of AI servers and cloud services. These include the PCIe 4.0 SSD X1 and P1 storage solutions, which support Dual-port and Single-port, respectively, and offer a maximum capacity of 32TB. Additionally, Phison will present the PCIe 5.0 PS5026-E26DC and PCIe 4.0 PS5018-E18DC storage solutions in the new E1.S form factor. These offerings are designed to assist enterprises, data centers, cloud services, and AI servers in overcoming various challenges in enterprise storage applications.

“Technology is advancing at a tenfold pace and countries worldwide are increasing their investments in the semiconductor field after experiencing chip shortages,” said K.S. Pua, Phison's CEO. “Technological innovation has become one of the most important topics globally. Storage and high-speed data transmission play a crucial role in all technological innovations. Leveraging the success of being the first in the world to receive PCI-SIG certification for the PCIe 5.0 PS7101 Redriver IC, Phison has introduced the next generation of PCIe 5.0 Redriver ICs: the PS7102 (8-Channel) and PS7103 (16-Lane). These new solutions are specifically designed to assist global customers in overcoming signal attenuation issues in high-speed applications.”

Pua further adds, ”The rise of generative AI such as ChatGPT will positively impact the demand for AI servers and storage by becoming ubiquitous in various NAND storage applications, including mobile voice recognition, computer-assisted software, industrial automation, and autonomous driving systems. All of these applications are closely related to NAND storage products. In response to these emerging demands, Phison has introduced NAND storage solutions that cater to various applications, including the PS8361 controller, Phison's first UFS 4.0-compliant controller suitable for high-end mobile devices; the next-generation industrial-grade PCIe 4.0 SSD storage solution PS5021-E21TI that can withstand harsh environments; the high-end PCIe 4.0 PS5021-E21TI MPT5 BGA SSD; and UFS 3.1 PS8317 MUM7 storage solutions that comply with AEC-Q100 automotive standards. These offerings provide comprehensive support for customers in creating value-added NAND storage solutions, and contribute to Phison's future growth.

More than 1,000 global brands are expected to exhibit, focusing on six major themes: high performance, computing, artificial intelligence applications, next-gen connectivity, hyperreality, innovations and startups, and sustainability.

If you would like to learn more, please click on the following links:
  1. Phison Electronics Awarded Top 5% Ranking in Corporate Governance Evaluation Among TPEx-Listed Companies
  2. Phison Introduces Upgraded IMAGIN+ Platform For Customized NAND Storage, ASIC Design Services
  3. Phison Demonstrates Latest PCIe Gen5 Innovation, E26 SSD Controller With I/O+ Technology And Signal Enhancing Redriver To Ignite Success for PCIe Gen5.0 and CXL™ 2.0
  4. Phison’s 8TB SSD Ready for Historic Liftoff After Earning NASA Certification

Page 3 of 12

About Phison

Phison Electronics Corp. (TPEX:8299) is a global leader in NAND Flash controller IC and storage solutions. We provide a variety of services from controller design, system integration, IP licensing to total turnkey solutions, covering applications across SSD (PCIe/SATA/PATA), eMMC, UFS, SD and USB interfaces, reaching out to consumer, industrial and enterprise markets. As an active member of industry associations, Phison is on the Board of Directors for SDA, ONFI, UFSA and a contributor for JEDEC, PCI-SIG, MIPI, NVMe and IEEE-SA.