IBM sees change coming in the data storage market just as it does in the use of so-called “big data” as well as networks. And as a result Big Blue says it will invest $1 billion at a handfull of its data centers worldwide to embrace Flash, or solid state drive [SSD], memory.
Unfortunately, none of the new cash is headed for North Carolina and IBM’s new data center in RTP.
IBM confirmed to WRALTechWire that four of its data centers will be getting Flash upgrades:
- Littleton, Mass.
- Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
- Washington, D.C.
- Dallas, Texas
Big Blue also picked several foreign sites for investment:
- Singapore
- Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Bangalore
- Hursley, U.K.
- Mainz, Germany
- Montpellier, France
- Beijing
- Makuhari, Japan
IBM spelled out its Flash strategy on Thursday. This followed closely on the heels of plans to ramp up its efforts to capitalize on big data analytics and to join a consortium backing software-defined networking, or SDN.
Proponents of Flash see it as a faster, less expensive, mechanically more reliable (i.e. no moving parts) for data storage than conventional servers.
IBM software leader Steve Mills says Flash is at a tipping point, with solid-state soon to become the norm, not the exception.
Costs of Flash have come down to the point where it costs $10 per gigabyte vs. $6 per gigabyte for conventional drives, Mills told ZDnet. That cost difference is enough to drive more interest in Flash due to what IBM believes is greater reliability and increased efficency.
“The economics and performance of Flash are at a point where the technology can have a revolutionary impact on enterprises, especially for transaction-intensive applications,” said Ambuj Goyal, general manager of Systems Storage, IBM Systems & Technology Group. “The confluence of Big Data, social, mobile and cloud technologies is creating an environment in the enterprise that demands faster, more efficient, access to business insights, and Flash can provide that access quickly.”
