Governments are facing a data explosion.
“The proliferation of data is immense. We’re seeing multiple new data sources, and with large language models like ChatGPT, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is creating immense amounts of data,” said Seth Kindley, Principal Technologist at Pure Storage, a leading innovator in all-flash storage.
Not that that’s a bad thing. “You have a richer dataset for searching and analytics. And with AI, the more data you have, the better the inference can be,” he said.
The problem is, “where do you store that data?” Kindley asked. “How do you get it ingested and how do you store it efficiently?”
Traditionally, data lived on disk servers in data centers. The hardware is bulky, heavy, and draws significant energy to operate and keep cool. “Traditional data centers are unsustainable,” Kindley noted. “In an environment where energy is becoming less abundant, they take too much power, they take too much space.”
As data proliferates and federal policies grow more stringent about both environmental impact and security, agencies are looking at new solutions.
The cloud can be one of those solutions, but often agencies want — or need — to retain on-premises control. Flash storage can be their answer.
Considering Flash Storage
You may be familiar with flash storage without understanding it. It’s replaced the disk drive in many popular personal computers. It’s the “flash” in USB flash drives. It’s memory that doesn’t need power to preserve data and, unlike CD-ROMs, can be erased and rewritten. And because flash storage is solid state — no moving parts — it can access your data much faster than an old-school disk.
“Flash requires less power, less cooling, less physical space, and it weighs less,” Kindley explained. “There’s less e-waste. It’s just inherently more efficient.”
Saving Space and Energy for DOE
Pure Storage’s all-flash technology is designed to convert whole data centers to flash. Kindley talked about a Department of Energy study of replacement infrastructure for a program that provides data to approximately 16,000 researchers.
The previous setup drew more than 1 megawatt of power. Replacing it with all-flash storage cut that energy use to 250,000 kilowatts/hour and shrank the amount of space in the data center that needed to be kept cool. “The physical footprint went from 16 racks to two, and they were able to remove their floor reinforcement,” Kindley added.
Planning for the Future
Pure Storage has been developing all-flash storage technology since it began. The company’s data systems work seamlessly — and fast — because of its strategic choice to make its own hardware and software. Its Pure1 support service includes telemetric monitoring of the hardware and remote updates scheduled for the agency’s convenience.
Kindley believes all-flash is the future of storage. “We’ve hit an inflection point where it’s no longer cost-prohibitive,” he said, and given the other advantages of flash, “I think we’re going to see a monumental shift in the storage market.”
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