pureSilicon Intros Rugged Renegade R2 Solid State Drive

pureSilicon may not be a mainstay like Western Digital or Seagate in the storage arena, but it's a growing force in the world of solid state drives. The company's latest offering is a high-performance, rugged drive that promises blistering transfer rates, densities up to 256GB and a rugged/durable design. For those scared of intrusion, it's also available with encryption.

The Renegade R2 is the drive in question, and it's now shipping to those willing to pay a premium to get speeds that are much faster than those offered by mere HDDs. The drive meets MIL-STD-810F standards while offering 255 MB/s read performance and 180 MB/s write performance. It also has improved IOPS (random read: 18,000 IOPS @ 4K; random write: 1,200 IOPS @ 4K), and the proprietary SiPher data security tech ensures that only you (or your most trusted friends) have access to the data.

They're available right now in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB sizes (in a SATA II setup, low-profile 9.5mm height 2.5" form factor); the 256GB, PATA and 1.8" form factor drives will start shipping in Q1 2010 alongside the encrypted versions.

pureSilicon Unveils Latest Line of Fast, Ruggedized, High-Capacity SSDs for Military/Defense

New Renegade R2 meets MIL-STD-810F standards while offering 255 MB/s performance, densities up to 256GB, rugged and durable design, and encryption technology.

Clifton, New Jersey – pureSilicon™ Inc. (www.puresi.com) is now shipping Renegade™ R2, its latest generation of ruggedized solid-state drives (SSD), designed to deliver uncompromised performance in the harshest conditions. Renegade R2 Series SSDs offer enhanced read and write speeds (sequential read: 255MB/s; sequential write: 180MB/s), improved IOPS (random read: 18,000 IOPS @ 4K; random write: 1,200 IOPS @ 4K) and proprietary SiPher™ data security technology. The drives are available immediately in a wide range of densities (4GB, 8GB, 16 GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB) with SATA II configuration, in a low profile (9.5mm height) 2.5-inch form factor. 256GB, PATA, 1.8-inch form factor, and encryption versions will start shipping in Q1 2010.

“pureSilicon is dedicated to providing high-performance, rugged storage solutions to the defense, military, industrial, and government markets,” said Jason Breakstone, founder and CEO of pureSilicon. “While many SSD manufacturers are focusing their efforts on the mass consumer markets, pureSilicon is committed to designing and delivering technologies that will provide significant benefits to our customers such as full-disk encryption and data declassification methods. Renegade R2 is designed to operate in the harshest conditions.”

High performance with real-world* specifications:
•       Capacity: 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, and 256GB using SLC flash
•       Sequential Read: 255MB/s
•       Sequential Write: 180MB/s
•       Random Read: 18,000 IOPS @ 4K
•       Random Write: 1,200 IOPS @ 4K
•       Average Power: < 1.0W

Other features include:
•       Renegade R2 uses the latest 34nm flash technology.
•       Real-time 256-, 192-, or 128-bit AES (CBC or ECB) hardware-driven encryption/decryption.
•       Secure-erase data declassification methods that meet strict government policies.
•       Supports Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART), Native Command Queuing (NCQ), Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI), and other advanced SATA commands.
•       Conforms to SATA 2.6 and ATA-7 specifications.
•       Features advanced wear-leveling and over-provisioning techniques to improve performance, prolong drive life, and boost reliability.

*pureSilicon publishes steady-state performance results. These are achieved by performing proper preconditioning, which prepares the drive for real-world usage scenarios and yields realistic performance benchmarks. Other SSD manufacturers claim ‘clean’ (new) drive performance specifications on a new drive, and users should expect to see performance reductions in real world use as a clean drive settles into its stabilized (steady) state — once the drive is nearing capacity and is consistently performing garbage collection, wear leveling, and bad-block management.

pureSilicon Renegade R2 SSDs are rugged and reliable
Renegade R2 SSDs perform in environments where heat, vibration, and humidity preclude the use of traditional hard disk drives or regular, ‘consumer-grade’ SSDs. Renegade R2 ensures compliance with MIL-STD-810F, a military standard that requires the SSD to sustain reliable operation during a series of rigorous tests that validate its ability to endure the harsh environments typical of extreme industrial and military applications.

Renegade R2 is a durable component that will continue to deliver high performance when other hard drives and SSDs would have failed. Ruggedized highlights include conformal coating, precision potting, and a hard-anodized unibody enclosure carved from a single piece of aluminum. pureSilicon uses components that can tolerate extreme temperatures, shock, and vibration, enabling Renegade R2 to perform from -40C to +85C. All Renegade R2 drives use industry-standard, single-level cell flash (SLC) to enhance reliability and long-term performance.

SiPher Technology – Full-disk encryption and data declassification ensure data protection
A dedicated on-board cryptographic processor provides hardware-driven 256-bit AES encryption that delivers instantaneous encryption and decryption of data. Renegade R2 can be authenticated through many different methods such as PIN/password, trusted platform module (TPM), smart card, universal serial bus (USB), or biometrics that use a unique ‘key’ to unlock the drive. Without the key, data that has been stored on the Renegade R2 will be incomprehensible to anyone who tries to access it.

Data declassification technology is used to ensure all data written to the Renegade R2, whether encrypted or not, is securely erased. Individual government organizations have different policies that require data be erased using special algorithms. Out of the box, Renegade R2 is capable of deploying many of the standard government data declassification algorithms.

Energy-efficient and planet-friendly
pureSilicon is committed to energy efficiency and designs storage products that yield high performance per watt. Whether the goal is to increase productivity in a mobile environment or reduce energy costs in a datacenter, deploying pureSilicon SSDs will help achieve these objectives. Legacy storage products such as hard disk drives are becoming less energy-efficient as manufacturers strive for higher performance, whereas SSDs offer superior performance and scalability, with lower energy consumption.

Available for immediate delivery
Renegade R2 is available immediately in a wide range of densities (4GB, 8GB, 16 GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB) with SATA II configuration, in a low profile (9.5mm height) 2.5-inch form factor. 256GB, PATA, 1.8-inch form factor, and encryption versions will start shipping in Q1 2010. For pricing and volume information, please visit http://www.puresi.com or contact: sales@puresi.com.

About pureSilicon Inc.
pureSilicon is redefining storage by developing leading-edge solid-state storage devices based on flash memory technologies, including the world’s only 1-terabyte 2.5-inch SSD. By delivering products that yield unprecedented performance, storage density, and data security, pureSilicon is able to address the growing storage needs of the military/defense, industrial, and enterprise server markets. Headquartered in New Jersey, the company specializes in developing leading-edge solid-state drives (SSDs) that meet the demands of the most discriminating applications. pureSilicon offers an extensive line of flash-based memory solutions specifically designed for defense contractors, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs). For more information visit http://www.puresi.com.