ThinkSystem PS1010 Read Intensive NVMe PCIe 5.0 x4 SSDs

Overview

The ThinkSystem PS1010 Read Intensive NVMe SSDs are general-purpose, high-performance drives featuring a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface. They are optimized for real-world IO conditions, accelerating enterprise and cloud workloads such as AI/ML, HPC, databases, and general-purpose servers. These SSDs deliver up to 90% IOPS consistency throughout their lifespan.

SED support: All drives in this guide include SED drive encryption. The naming convention for new drives does not include SED in the name.

The PS1010 SSDs are part of a new family of PCIe 5.0 SSDs designed to match the performance of the ThinkSystem V4 family of servers. The Gen 5 host interface doubles sequential performance compared to Gen 4 SSDs, and the NVMe host interface maximizes flash storage performance while minimizing latency.

These SSDs are suitable for read-intensive and general-purpose data center workloads, offering high performance due to their NVMe PCIe interface. They provide outstanding IOPS/watt and cost/IOPS for enterprise solutions.

Part Number Information

The following table lists the ordering part numbers and feature codes for the PS1010 SSDs.

The part numbers for the drives include:

• One drive with a hot-swap tray attached
• Publication package

Features

The PS1010 SSDs utilize Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) PCIe high-performance SSD technology, offering high I/O throughput and low latency. NVMe interfaces eliminate SAS/SATA bottlenecks and unlock the full capabilities of modern NAND flash memory. Each NVMe PCI SSD connects directly via PCIe x4, providing significantly greater bandwidth and lower latency than SATA/SAS-based SSD solutions. NVMe drives are also optimized for heavy multi-threaded workloads through internal parallelism and enlarged I/O queues.

Key characteristics of the PS1010 SSDs include:

• Based on the Solidigm D7-PS1010 SSDs
• PCIe 5.0 connection for each NVMe drive
• Compliant with Trusted Computing Group Opal 2.02 Security Subsystem Class cryptographic standard (TCG Opal 2.02 SSC)
• Solidigm D7-PS1010 TLC 3D NAND Flash Memory
• Suitable for read-intensive workloads
• Available in capacities up to 15.36 TB
• Variable sector size and end-to-end data-path protection
• Enhanced power-loss data protection
• Thermal throttling and monitoring
• SMART health reporting
• Support for the following specifications:
  • PCI Express Base Specification Rev. 5.0
  • NVM Express Base Specification 2.0
  • NVM Express Management Interface 1.2c

Endurance and Data Lifespan

The key metric for solid state drives is their endurance (life expectancy), measured by program/erase (P/E) cycles. Write Intensive SSDs offer better endurance than Mixed Use SSDs, which in turn offer better endurance than Read Intensive SSDs.

SSD write endurance is typically measured in Terabytes Written (TBW), representing the total bytes of data a drive is guaranteed to complete. Reaching the TBW limit does not cause immediate failure but signifies the maximum guaranteed writes. After surpassing the TBW value, the drive may enter read-only mode.

For example, the PS1010 3.84 TB drive has an endurance of 7,000 TBW. For full operation over five years, the write workload should be limited to 3,836 GB per day (1.0 full drive writes per day - DWPD). For a three-year lifespan, the workload should be limited to 6,393 GB per day (1.7 DWPD).

Benefits of Drive Encryption

All ThinkSystem PS1010 Read Intensive NVMe SSDs support drive encryption, offering several benefits:

• On-the-fly encryption: Encrypts data at the drive level with no performance impact.
• Instant secure erasure: Provides cryptographic erasure, making data unreadable.
• Auto-locking: Secures active data if a drive is misplaced or stolen.

Automatic Encryption

Data security is crucial. Self-encrypting drives (SEDs) simplify encryption management, making it easy and affordable. In normal use, the drive automatically encrypts data being written and decrypts data being read without requiring user authentication keys.

Drive Retirement and Disposal

When hard drives are retired, data on them is at significant risk. IT departments retire drives for various reasons, including warranty returns, disposal, or repurposing.

Data on retired drives remains readable even after leaving the data center. To prevent data breaches, companies use various methods to erase data on retired drives. However, current practices often involve significant human involvement and are prone to technical and human failure.

Drawbacks of current drive retirement practices include:

• Overwriting data: Expensive, ties up system resources, and may not cover reallocated sectors.
• Degaussing/Shredding: Expensive, difficult to ensure effectiveness, environmentally hazardous, and prevents returns for warranty or lease.
• Indefinite storage: Storing drives indefinitely in warehouses is not truly secure due to potential loss or theft.
• Professional disposal services: Expensive and involves risks during transportation.

Self-encrypting drives eliminate the need for overwriting, destroying, or storing retired drives. They can be cryptographically erased almost instantaneously, regardless of capacity.

Instant Secure Erase

Cryptographic erasure instantly destroys the data encryption key, making the data on the drive impossible to decrypt. This reduces IT operating expenses and helps ensure compliance with privacy regulations.

Auto-locking

Insider theft and misplacement are growing concerns. Self-encrypting drives feature auto-lock mode to secure active data against theft. When auto-lock mode is enabled, the drive's data encryption key is locked whenever the drive is powered down. Upon powering back on, authentication is required to unlock the encryption key and access data.

Technical Specifications

* Latency measured using 4 KB transfer size with queue depth = 1 on a random workload.

Server Support

The following tables list the ThinkSystem servers that are compatible with the PS1010 SSDs.

Storage Controller Support

NVMe PCIe SSDs require a NVMe drive backplane and a PCIe connection to processors. This connection can be an adapter (PCIe Interposer or PCIe extender/switch adapter) or a cable connecting to an onboard NVMe connector. Consult the relevant server product guide for details about required components for NVMe drive support.

Operating System Support

The PS1010 SSDs support the operating systems listed in the following tables. These tables are generated based on data from Lenovo ServerProven.

VMware vSAN certification: The drives are VMware vSAN certified. They are listed in the VMware Compatibility Guide (VCG) under the drive vendor company name instead of Lenovo. To check for vSAN certification, search the VCG using the Supplier part number as listed in Table 1.

The IBM Security Key Lifecycle Manager software is available from Lenovo.

Warranty

The PS1010 SSDs carry a 1-year, customer-replaceable unit (CRU) limited warranty. When installed in a supported Lenovo server, these drives assume the system's base warranty and any warranty upgrade.

Solid State Memory cells have a finite number of program/erase cycles. Each SSD has a maximum number of P/E cycles. The warranty is limited to drives that have not reached the maximum guaranteed number of P/E cycles, as documented in the Official Published Specifications for the SSD product. A drive reaching this limit may fail to operate according to its specifications.

Physical Specifications

The PS1010 SSDs have the following physical dimensions and weight:

• Height: 7.5 mm
• Width: 70 mm
• Depth: 100 mm
• Weight: 116 g

Operating Environment

The PS1010 SSDs are supported in the following environment:

• Temperature: Operating: 0 to 77 °C (32 to 171 °F) at 0 to 3,048 m (0 to 10,000 ft); Non-operating: -40 to 85 °C (-40 to 185 °F)
• Relative humidity: 5 to 90% (non-condensing)
• Maximum altitude (operational): 3,048 m (10,000 ft)
• Shock: 1,000 G (Max) at 0.5 ms
• Vibration: 2.17 G_RMS (5-700 Hz)

Agency Approvals

The PS1010 SSDs conform to the following regulations:

• FCC Title 47, Part 15B, Class B
• CA/CSA-CEI/IEC CISPR 22:02
• EN 55024: 1998
• EN 55022: 2006
• EN-60950-1 2nd Edition
• UL/CSA EN-60950-1 2nd Edition
• Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC
• C-Tick: AS/NZS3584
• BSMI: CNS 13438
• KCC Article 11.1
• RoHS DIRECTIVE 2011/65/EU
• WEEE Directive 2002/96/EC

Related Publications and Links

For more information, see the following documents:

• Lenovo ThinkSystem SSD Portfolio: https://lenovopress.lenovo.com/lp1261-lenovo-thinksystem-ssd-portfolio
• ServerProven: https://serverproven.lenovo.com/
• Solidigm D7-PS1010 product page: https://www.solidigm.com/products/data-center/d7/ps1010.html

Related Product Families

Product families related to this document are the following:

• Drives

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This document, LP2160, was created or updated on February 25, 2025.

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