According to Innodisk, flash memory is a non-volatile storage medium, which means data remains on the solid-state drive (SSD) without power. However, certain factors, like high temperatures, can lead to data loss and degradation. High temperature and frequent program/erase (P/E) cycles can severely impact data retention. Every cell inside flash traps a negative charge that represents a binary value. Though very good at holding the charge, now and then some of the charge will leak out of the cells. Error correction code is normally very good at picking this up and fixing the problem.
High temperatures will, however, speed up the rate of leakage. Testing shows that the data retention of standard MLC flash decreases 168-fold when moving from 40°C to 85°C. This means data that would normally last two years, will experience issues in only five days. The problem is further exacerbated as the number of P/E cycles increases, meaning that SSDs in heavy-writing environments are particularly at risk.
Innodisk’s iRetention technology promises to tackle the problem through smart firmware and hardware innovations. An onboard sensor will constantly monitor temperatures, which along with the P/E cycle number is used to calculate how often to refresh the data. This is all handled by the SSD itself and will self-adjust to changes in the environment.
iRetention enables SSD devices to operate in extreme temperatures and thermal variation. This makes it suitable for applications such as in-vehicle, automation, food processing, and aerospace and defense. For greater insights, visit Innodisk.