page_title: Flash Core Module
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Flash Core Module / History
caption_attribution_description: English: RamSan-500 enterprise solid state disk from Texas Memory Systems
context_page_description: IBM FlashCore Modules are solid state technology computer data storage modules using PCI Express attachment and the NVMe command set. The raw storage capacities are 4.8 TB, 9.6 TB, 19.2 TB and 38.4 TB. The FlashCore modules support hardware self-encryption and real-time inline hardware data compression without performance impact. They are used in selected arrays from the IBM FlashSystem family.
context_section_description: On September 17, 2007, Texas Memory Systems (TMS) announced the RamSan-500, the world's first enterprise-class flash-based solid state disk.  The Flash Modules were designed from the ground up by Texas Memory Systems using a proprietary form-factor, physical connectivity, ECC algorithm, and flash wear-leveling algorithm.  The flash controllers used specialized logic that enabled lower latency than any other commodity controller could achieve.  This product marked the beginning of development of the RamSan-OS, which was a custom designed flash management and storage infrastructure management suite implemented in both software and hardware.  Six more generations of this flash controller were developed (for a total of seven generations), until IBM acquired TMS in 2012.
  On January 16, 2014, IBM announced the FlashSystem 840 product, which was the first FlashSystem designed entirely by IBM post-acquisition of TMS.  IBM branded the flash controller technology IBM MicroLatency technology, and touted how the technology lowered data access times from milliseconds to microseconds.
  On February 19, 2015 IBM announced the FlashSystem 900 and V9000 products and re-branded the flash controller technology as IBM FlashCore technology, and described it as the suite of innovations and capabilities that can enable FlashSystem to help deliver better performance than enterprise disk systems. The flash modules themselves continued to be branded the IBM MicroLatency Modules.  This version of the technology supported Micron's MLC flash chip technology.
  With the announcement of the FlashSystem 9100 on July 10, 2018, FlashCore technology was re-implemented into a standard 2 1/2 inch NVMe SSD form factor.  This marks the first time that the original technology developed by TMS was packaged in such a way that conformed to an industry specification and was interchangeable with industry-standard SSDs.
caption: RamSan-500 enterprise solid state disk from Texas Memory Systems
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