FMS 2019 Recap: NVM Express™, Inc. Technology has Crossed the Chasm

By Cameron Brett and Jonmichael Hands, NVM Express Marketing Work Group Chairs

This year, NVM Express returned to Flash Memory Summit (FMS) to network with leaders in the flash storage industry and update attendees on the latest NVMe™ technology innovations. We served as a proud FMS association sponsor and presented a full speaking track led by NVMe technology experts from 16 member companies. Attendance was at an all-time high, as we again joined forces in Santa Clara, CA to learn about industry predictions, roadmaps for NVMe technology innovations, and new storage design tricks. It was wonderful to see so many proudly displayed member signs throughout the exhibit hall—over 28 signs were in view from our members.

Big News Afoot for a New Specification and an Award-Winning Technology
Before FMS 2019, NVM Express announced the release of the NVMe™ 1.4 specification and that the NVMe-oF™ 1.1 specification entered into a 45-day member review period. More exciting news emerged when the upcoming NVMe-oF 1.1 specification was awarded the Flash Memory Summit 2019 Best of Show Award for the Most Innovative Flash Memory Technology.

NVM Express Presentation Track Showcases New Innovations
NVMe Technical Work Group chair, Peter Onufryk, delivered the organization’s keynote presentation during which he conveyed many pointed insights. The most memorable takeaway was that “NVMe technology has crossed the chasm and gained widespread market adoption.”

Eric Burgener of IDC also relayed interesting data in his talk about the NVMe enterprise storage market forecast. In his presentation, Burgener predicted that “by 2021, NVMe All-Flash Arrays (NAFAs) will drive over 50% of all primary external storage revenue and by 2023, All-Flash Arrays (AFAs) will account for 53.2% of the external storage market.” He then set out best-case developments for end-users and vendors going forward with NVMe. For end-users, he suggested transitioning to NVMe technology for primary workloads over the next three years and matching storage architectures to workload requirements.

The FMS 2019 NVM Express presentation track relayed up-to-the-minute information about NVMe, NVMe-oF and NVMe-MI technology. Our other sessions covered a range of topics including new developments in enterprise servers, software drivers, SSD objectives and opportunities, cloud storage, how to leverage NVM Express technology, and a look into the future of the NVMe market. You can download the presentation slides on our website.

The Press Weighs In

Many analysts and reporters expressed interest in the developments from NVM Express.

In his FMS 2019 recap article, Storage Swiss Analyst, George Crump writes, “a key takeaway for IT professionals it that the NVMe specification is just beginning, the organization is continuing to push the capabilities of the specification to meet the needs of hyper-scalers, enterprises and consumers.”

Editorial News Director for Tech Target, Dave Raffo examined how far NVMe technology has come: “the NVMe interface for NAND flash was an emerging technology for years at the annual FMS, but now is common in flash storage arrays from leading vendors and startups.”

Thank you to everyone who attended our session tracks and met with us at FMS 2019! If you want to stay up to date on all of the latest specification announcements, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter.