P63841-B21 HPE 15.3TB Nvme Gen4 RI SFF BC U.3 SPDM SSD

HPE P63841-B21 15.36TB NVMe SSD

Unparalleled Performance for Data-Intensive Workloads

The HPE P63841-B21 represents the cutting edge of enterprise storage technology, leveraging PCIe Gen4 NVMe interface to deliver unprecedented performance levels. This 15.36TB SSD achieves transfer speeds that significantly outperform traditional SAS and SATA SSDs, with sequential read speeds reaching up to 7,000 MB/s and write speeds up to 3,800 MB/s. The NVMe 1.4 protocol ensures optimized command processing and reduced latency, making it ideal for high-performance computing environments where every microsecond counts.

PCIe Gen4 Architecture Benefits

With double the bandwidth of PCIe Gen3, the PCIe Gen4 interface enables this SSD to handle massive data transfers without bottlenecking. The x4 lane configuration provides up to 64,000 MB/s of theoretical bandwidth, ensuring the storage medium never becomes the limiting factor in your system's performance. This makes the P63841-B21 particularly suited for AI/ML workloads, real-time analytics, and high-frequency trading applications where rapid data access is critical.

Read-Intensive Workload Optimization

Specifically engineered for read-intensive applications, this SSD delivers consistent performance under sustained read operations. The drive endurance rating of 1.3 DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day) over its 5-year warranty period ensures reliable operation in environments where data retrieval predominates over write operations. This makes it perfect for database servers, content delivery networks, and data warehousing solutions where read performance directly impacts application responsiveness and user experience.

Advanced Form Factor and Physical Specifications

SFF U.3 Form Factor Compatibility

The P63841-B21 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF) design with U.3 interface provides exceptional flexibility in deployment scenarios. The U.3 connector supports tri-mode compatibility, allowing the drive to work seamlessly in NVMe, SAS, or SATA environments without physical modification. This future-proofs your investment and simplifies inventory management by reducing the need for multiple drive types across different systems.

Physical Dimensions and Environmental Specifications

Measuring 70.1mm x 100.5mm x 15mm and weighing approximately 120 grams, the P63841-B21 fits standard 2.5-inch drive bays in HPE servers and storage arrays. The drive operates within a temperature range of 0°C to 70°C and can withstand operating shocks up to 10G and non-operating shocks up to 20G. These specifications ensure reliable operation in demanding data center environments with varying thermal conditions and potential physical disturbances.

Power Efficiency 

Despite its massive capacity and high performance, the drive maintains excellent power efficiency with typical power consumption of 12-14W during active operation and dropping to below 5W during idle states. Advanced thermal management features include temperature monitoring and throttling mechanisms that prevent overheating while maintaining optimal performance levels. This reduces overall data center cooling requirements and contributes to lower total cost of ownership.

Enterprise-Grade Reliability and Data Protection

SPDM Security Framework

The incorporation of SPDM (Security Protocol and Data Model) provides robust hardware-based security capabilities. This framework enables secure authentication of the drive to the host system, preventing unauthorized drive replacement or tampering. SPDM also facilitates encrypted communication between the drive and host, protecting sensitive data during transmission and ensuring compliance with increasingly stringent data protection regulations.

End-to-End Data Protection

Comprehensive data protection mechanisms include power-loss protection with integrated capacitors that provide sufficient backup power to complete in-progress writes and flush cache contents during unexpected power failures. The drive employs advanced error correction codes (ECC) and redundant pathing to prevent data corruption, while wear-leveling algorithms distribute write operations evenly across all NAND blocks to maximize drive longevity.

3D TLC NAND Technology

Built with high-quality 3D TLC (Triple-Level Cell) NAND flash memory, this SSD strikes the perfect balance between performance, endurance, and cost-effectiveness. The 96-layer 3D NAND architecture provides higher density and better performance per watt compared to planar NAND technologies. The sophisticated flash management algorithms optimize read and write operations to maintain consistent performance throughout the drive's lifespan, even as the NAND cells undergo numerous program/erase cycles.

Capacity and Performance Specifications

Massive 15.36TB Storage Capacity

With 15.36 terabytes of usable capacity, this SSD enables significant storage consolidation, reducing the number of drives required to achieve petabyte-scale storage deployments. The high density translates to better resource utilization, reduced power consumption, and simplified storage management. The formatted capacity provides ample space for large datasets, virtual machine images, and extensive database applications without the overhead of traditional RAID configurations.

Performance Consistency and QoS

The P63841-B21 drive delivers exceptional quality of service (QoS) with consistent low latency of under 100 microseconds for read operations and under 20 microseconds for write operations. This performance consistency is maintained even under heavy workload conditions, ensuring predictable application behavior. The advanced flash controller with multiple processing cores and dedicated hardware accelerators manages garbage collection, wear leveling, and bad block management in the background without impacting foreground operations.

Random I/O Performance Metrics

For random I/O operations, the drive achieves up to 1,000,000 IOPS for 4KB random reads and up to 180,000 IOPS for 4KB random writes. This exceptional random performance makes it suitable for OLTP databases, virtualization hosts, and other applications requiring high IOPS density. The performance scales linearly with queue depth, allowing it to take full advantage of modern multi-core processors and parallel I/O patterns.

Use Cases and Application Scenarios

Big Data and Analytics Platforms

The P63841-B21 massive capacity and high throughput make this SSD ideal for big data applications such as Hadoop clusters, Splunk deployments, and Elasticsearch implementations. The low latency enables faster query processing and real-time analytics, while the high endurance ensures consistent performance during continuous data ingestion and processing operations. The read-intensive nature aligns perfectly with analytics workloads where data is written once but read multiple times for analysis.

Virtualization and Cloud Infrastructure

In virtualized environments, the drive can host hundreds of virtual machines simultaneously, providing fast boot times and responsive application performance. The high IOPS capability supports VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) deployments where numerous users access their virtual desktops concurrently. For cloud service providers, the drive offers excellent performance density, enabling more tenants per server without storage performance degradation.

Detailed Performance Characteristics

The drive's performance profile includes sustained sequential read speeds of 7,000 MB/s and sequential write speeds of 3,800 MB/s. Random read performance reaches 1,000,000 IOPS at queue depth 256, while random write performance achieves 180,000 IOPS. The average latency for 4KB transfers remains below 100 microseconds for reads and 20 microseconds for writes, ensuring responsive performance for latency-sensitive applications.

Endurance and Reliability Metrics

With an endurance rating of 26.3 PBW (Petabytes Written) and 1.3 DWPD over 5 years, the drive offers sufficient write endurance for read-intensive applications. The MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) of 2,500,000 hours and UBER (Unrecoverable Bit Error Rate) of 1 sector per 10^17 bits read demonstrate the enterprise-grade reliability expected from HPE storage components.

Interface and Protocol Specifications

The P63841-B21 drive utilizes the PCIe 4.0 x4 interface with NVMe 1.4 protocol support, providing maximum compatibility with current and future HPE server platforms. The U.3 connector enables deployment in mixed NVMe/SAS environments, while the SFF-8639 form factor ensures mechanical compatibility with standard 2.5-inch drive bays. The drive supports all mandatory and optional NVMe features including multiple namespaces, SR-IOV, and end-to-end data protection.