Samsung, Western Digital join hands to improve adoption of next-generation storage technologies

The two firms have signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to improve the adoption of Zoned Storage technologies in cloud and enterprise applications. This collaboration will make it easier for clients as their devices will be supported by multiple vendors (software and hardware) due to a robust ecosystem.

Western Digital has been laying the foundation for Zoned Storage by contributing to the Linux kernel and the open-source software community. With the help of Samsung, the technology will grow faster and have broader support for users and application developers.

Samsung and Western Digital have started an initiative called Zoned Storage. It will help wider adoption of similar technologies, including ZNS (Zoned Namespaces) SSDs and SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) HDDs. Together with SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association) and the Linux Foundation, the companies will develop high-level models and frameworks for similar storage technologies.

SNIA approved the Zoned Storage Technical Working Group in December 2021. It defines common use cases for Zoned  Storage and specifies host/device architecture and programming models. In the future, the working group will include other emerging storage technologies such as NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF).

Jinman Han, Corporate EVP, Head of Memory Sales & Marketing at Samsung Electronics, said, “This collaboration is a testament to our relentless effort to exceed customers' needs now and in the future, and holds special meaning in how we anticipate it will actively grow into a larger basis of engagement for Zoned Storage standardization. Our collaborative efforts will embrace hardware and software ecosystems to ensure that as many customers as possible can reap the benefits of this highly important technology.”

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