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LSI has begun shipping sample quantities of its next-generation 65-nanometer multi-interface Physical Layer (PHY) IP for hard disk drives (HDD) in notebook and desktop personal computers as well as enterprise storage systems.

 

The LSI TrueStore PHY8800 can deliver data transfer rates as high as 6 gigabits per second to support the next-generation Serial ATA (SATA) and Serial Attached SCSI (SAS (News - Alert)) interface standards. The company explains that TrueStore PHYs boasts best-in-class performance for total transmit jitter and total receive jitter tolerance, both key measurements of noise levels in serial signals.

 

LSI’s PHY8800 is compatible with SATA, SAS, and Fibre Channel (FC-PI-2) protocols. This solution claims to reduce power consumption by about 10 percent from the previous generation PHY. Additionally, the PHY8800 doubles the data transfer rates, which further reduces power consumption in the HDD enabling it to communicate much faster with its host.

 

Thanks to new PHY, HDD makers can enjoy improved power performance and test features that simplify debugging. Because the test features include a firmware-controllable signal analyzer, engineers at HDD makers can observe, debug and clean up signals easily without the use of expensive test equipment.

 

Ruediger Stroh, executive vice president and general manager of the LSI Storage Peripherals Group believes the new LSI PHY sets a new benchmark in performance with its superior capability of transmitting an exceptionally clean signal to the host and, in turn, being able to receive extremely noisy data and restore it without errors.

 

Stroh points out that the ample performance margins of the PHY8800 offer robust operation in the widest variety of host environments, thus enabling HDD makers to reduce costs and focus on system level design.

 

The new PHY has been developed as part of the LSI total recording system design that includes new read channels, ARM cores, and hard disk controller IP that will be integrated into next generation 65-nm System-on-Chip.

 

“The system is designed as a whole, with LSI preamps, to give HDD makers faster time to market, higher reliability, increased performance and lower overall system power. No other company can offer the breadth of high-performance storage IC products and systems that LSI delivers,” said Stroh in a statement.