pureSilicon Intros Rugged Renegade R2 Solid State Drive

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

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

They're available right now in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GBsizes (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 Q12010 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/sperformance, densities up to 256GB, rugged and durable design, andencryption technology.

Clifton, New Jersey – pureSilicon™ Inc. (www.puresi.com)is now shipping Renegade™ R2, its latest generation of ruggedizedsolid-state drives (SSD), designed to deliver uncompromised performancein the harshest conditions. Renegade R2 Series SSDs offer enhanced readand 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 areavailable immediately in a wide range of densities (4GB, 8GB, 16 GB,32GB, 64GB, 128GB) with SATA II configuration, in a low profile (9.5mmheight) 2.5-inch form factor. 256GB, PATA, 1.8-inch form factor, andencryption versions will start shipping in Q1 2010.

“pureSilicon is dedicated to providing high-performance, rugged storagesolutions to the defense, military, industrial, and governmentmarkets,” said Jason Breakstone, founder and CEO of pureSilicon. “Whilemany SSD manufacturers are focusing their efforts on the mass consumermarkets, pureSilicon is committed to designing and deliveringtechnologies that will provide significant benefits to our customerssuch 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 ControllerInterface (AHCI), and other advanced SATA commands.
•       Conforms to SATA 2.6 and ATA-7 specifications.
•       Features advanced wear-leveling and over-provisioningtechniques to improve performance, prolong drive life, and boostreliability.

*pureSilicon publishes steady-state performance results. These areachieved by performing proper preconditioning, which prepares the drivefor real-world usage scenarios and yields realistic performancebenchmarks. Other SSD manufacturers claim ‘clean’ (new) driveperformance specifications on a new drive, and users should expect tosee performance reductions in real world use as a clean drive settlesinto its stabilized (steady) state — once the drive is nearing capacityand is consistently performing garbage collection, wear leveling, andbad-block management.

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

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

SiPher Technology – Full-disk encryption and data declassification ensure data protection
A dedicated on-board cryptographic processor provides hardware-driven256-bit AES encryption that delivers instantaneous encryption anddecryption of data. Renegade R2 can be authenticated through manydifferent 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 storedon the Renegade R2 will be incomprehensible to anyone who tries toaccess it.

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

Energy-efficient and planet-friendly
pureSilicon is committed to energy efficiency and designs storageproducts that yield high performance per watt. Whether the goal is toincrease productivity in a mobile environment or reduce energy costs ina datacenter, deploying pureSilicon SSDs will help achieve theseobjectives. Legacy storage products such as hard disk drives arebecoming less energy-efficient as manufacturers strive for higherperformance, 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 lowprofile (9.5mm height) 2.5-inch form factor. 256GB, PATA, 1.8-inch formfactor, and encryption versions will start shipping in Q1 2010. Forpricing and volume information, please visit http://www.puresi.com or contact: sales@puresi.com.

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