T-Head, Alibaba's chipmaking arm, has introduced its first SSD controller with a PCIe Gen5 interface. The Zhenyue 510 uses custom cores featuring the RISC-V instruction set architecture and is designed primarily for cloud storage applications, including artificial intelligence, big-data analysis, large databases, software-defined storage, and online transactions, reports the state-controlled GlobalTimes .

T-Head hasn't yet disclosed all the specifications of the Zhenyue 510 controller, but it says that it uses the company's own Xuantie C910 RISC-V cores, DDR5 as cache buffer, and a PCIe 5.0 interface to communicate with its host, according to DigiTimes . The massive compute performance of the Zhenyue 510 enables the usage of improved error correction and signal processing algorithms and supports innovative types of memory. Furthermore, the controller enables 30% lower input/output latencies compared to competing offerings, reports Gizmochina .

Given what has been disclosed about the Zhenyue 510 controller so far, we theorize we are looking at a chip designed for high-end enterprise-grade SSDs that support tens of terabytes of 3D NAND memory and enterprise-grade reliability and performance-enhancing features. For example, a 30% lower input/output latency is particularly beneficial for data-intensive operations, such as AI training and inference and big data analysis, common in Alibaba Cloud's data centers where the Zhenyue 510 will be initially deployed.

Development of T-Head's Zhenyue 510 SSD controller started in the first half of 2021, so given a normal development, testing, and validating cycle, expect drives based on the new chip to be deployed in the coming quarters.

It is noteworthy that T-Head's Zhenyue 510 SSD is not the first PCIe Gen5 SSD controller designed entirely in China. Yingren reportedly said it had commenced mass production of its PCIe 5.0-supporting SSD controller, the YR S900 .