Introduction of Adaptec Series 8 12Gb/s SAS RAID Adapters Establishes PMC as the Only Supplier of End-to-End 12G Architecture from Controller to SSD

SUNNYVALE, Calif., September 4, 2013 – PMC® (Nasdaq:PMCS), the semiconductor innovator transforming networks that connect, move and store big data, today introduced the Adaptec® Series 8 12Gb/s SAS RAID Adapter family for high-performance server and networked storage. Combined with PMC’s I/O protocol controllers, RAID-on-Chip (RoC) controllers, SAS expanders, solid state drive (SSD) controllers and advanced software, PMC provides the industry’s only complete 12Gb/s SAS architecture to access the untapped performance of 12Gb/s SSDs. Systems designed with PMC’s solutions can provide double the overall storage connectivity as competing solutions, with less components, space and power. PMC’s 12Gb/s SAS architecture is optimized to deliver the performance, flexibility and density needed for dynamic data in cloud computing, content delivery networks, and mission-critical database applications.

“With our new Series 8 RAID adapters, PMC is now addressing all the key points of 12Gb/s SAS connectivity,” said Jared Peters, vice president of Server Storage Solutions at PMC. “We designed our Series 8 adapter family to enable denser, faster and more configurable storage environments, which translates directly into faster data delivery and access. With innovations like the maxCache Plus™ tiering capability for Series 8, we continue to provide the technology that helps datacenter architects get the most value and performance out of their storage assets.”

Adaptec Series 8 delivers an industry-leading >700,000 4k random read RAID I/Os per second, a 60 percent improvement over the previous generation. This level of performance unleashes the full potential of 12Gb/s SAS SSDs, which are twice as fast as 6Gb/s SAS SSDs and up to 1,000 times faster than traditional hard drives.

The Series 8 family has five models, all based on PMC’s 12Gb/s SAS RoC controllers, in low-profile form factor. Configurations include 16-port adapters that connect twice as many drives as competing solutions. This unique high-port technology also provides the flexibility to create hybrid storage arrays utilizing any combination of SSDs and HDDs. Deploying hybrid arrays with Series 8 and maxCache Plus caching and tiering software enables SSDs to accelerate cloud computing applications.

Adaptec’s fourth generation caching solution now includes tiering technology that allows customers to maximize their storage investments. The new maxCache Plus with Series 8 provides the flexibility to configure all storage devices in a server environment, not just those connected to PMC hardware. All storage assets in a server can be leveraged according to their performance capabilities with the fastest media used for data acceleration, enabling the most cost-effective storage architecture.

“Enterprise datacenters and cloud environments have a need to accelerate application performance while coping with massive data growth cost effectively,” said Jeff Janukowicz, research director for Solid State Storage at IDC. “12Gb/s SAS architectures and tiering technologies are poised to overcome these challenges and help unlock the full potential of SSDs, which is one of the key reasons IDC expects shipments of SAS SSDs to grow at a 75 percent compound annual growth rate from 2012 to 2017.”

12Gb/s SAS is an established interface for future generations of high-performance enterprise servers and storage arrays, and it is essential to realizing the full performance potential of SSDs. The standard is also backward compatible with existing 6Gb/s SAS infrastructures.

“Our new 12Gb/s SAS SSDs dramatically improve response times to dynamic and mission critical data in cloud and datacenter environments, but an end-to-end 12Gb/s SAS architecture is a critical part of the foundation of the build out,” said Gary Gentry, senior vice president and general manager of Seagate’s solid state drive business. “Products like PMC’s Series 8 adapters are key elements that will allow data center architects to realize the full benefits of our industry-leading SSD performance.”

The Series 8 family supports the PCI Express® 3.0 specification and includes the following models:

Availability
The complete family of Adaptec Series 8 RAID adapters includes five unique SKUs, and will be available in Q4 2013 through Adaptec’s worldwide distributors and storage channel partners. For complete product details, visit www.adaptec.com.

Adaptec Series 8 High Density (HD) mini-SAS Cables
Adaptec offers a broad portfolio of 6Gb/s and 12Gb/s HD mini-SAS cables for connecting existing storage topographies to the new Series 8 RAID adapters. For complete details, visit www.adaptec.com/cables. Cables are available through Adaptec distributors, channel partners and tech-support call centers.

About Adaptec by PMC
Adaptec by PMC storage solutions protect, accelerate, and condition data as it moves through the I/O path. We deliver high-performance, interoperable and reliable storage solutions combined with leading technical support. Our products enable customers to innovate storage networks for next-generation data centers, cloud services as well as the broader market segments served by our channel partners. For more information, visit www.adaptec.com.

About PMC
PMC (Nasdaq:PMCS) is the semiconductor innovator transforming networks that connect, move and store big data. Building on a track record of technology leadership, the company is driving innovation across storage, optical and mobile networks. PMC’s highly integrated solutions increase performance and enable next-generation services to accelerate the network transformation. For more information, visit www.pmcs.com. Follow PMC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and RSS.

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Note to Editors: Adaptec by PMC will demonstrate the new Series 8 RAID adapter family in booth #560 at the Intel Developers Forum, September 10-12, 2013, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

For photos visit: http://pmcs.com/news_room/images/Adaptec_Series_8_RAID_family.png

© Copyright PMC-Sierra, Inc. 2013. All rights reserved. PMC, PMC-SIERRA and ADAPTEC are registered trademarks of PMC-Sierra, Inc. in the United States and other countries, PMCS and maxCache Plus are trademarks of PMC-Sierra, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. PMC is the corporate brand of PMC-Sierra, Inc.

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