Pure Storage Inc. today introduced a series of new systems designed for data-hungry applications and artificial intelligence software.

The biggest announcement from Pure’s annual Accelerate customer event in San Francisco today is the launch of the FlashArray//X product line. The series expands Pure’s portfolio of flash systems with five new models that incorporate NVMe and NVMeOF, two of the most significant data storage innovations to have emerged in recent years.

NVME, for nonvolatile memory express, is a protocol for handling the flow of information between the processors in a server and the solid-state memory attached to that machine. The technology was specifically created with flash in mind and makes it possible to access data much faster than older alternatives such as SATA. NVMeOF, or NVMe over fabrics, is a related protocol that provides a similar boost for servers that don’t use direct-attached flash but instead connect to remote storage gear over the network.

The FlashArray//X line puts these technologies to good use. Pure claims that the flagship model, the //X90, is up to twice as fast as the previous-generation FlashArray//M series and provides as little as 250 microseconds of latency. It’s also the company’s densest array to date, with a 6U chassis that can pack up to 3 petabytes of effective storage capacity.

The model is launching in conjunction with the //X70 and //X50. These are two smaller NVMe arrays that offer up to 1.3 petabytes and 650 terabytes of effective capacity, respectively. The series is rounded out by a pair of even cheaper entry-level systems that come with SATA-based flash by default but can be upgraded to use NVMe modules. Pure said they’re geared toward environments such as branch offices with limited storage needs.

All five models run a new version of Pure’s Purity storage operating system that’s designed to help companies get more out of their storage hardware. The software, which is also available for the FlashArray//M series, brings an upgraded data compression mechanism touted as up to 20 percent more efficient than before.

Pure unveiled the new additions to its storage lineup alongside an entirely different, and more specialized, offering called the AIRI Mini. It’s a smaller version of the heavy-duty artificial intelligence system that the company introduced for large enterprises earlier this year.

The AIRI Mini pairs a 119-terabyte storage system from Pure’s FlashBlade family with two of Nvidia Corp.’s DGX-1 servers. Each machine packs eight Tesla V100 graphics cards, which the chip maker has specifically built to run AI software. This enables the AIRI Mini to provide 2 petaflops of processing power for deep learning projects, which is 2 quadrillion floating-point operations per second.

Image: Pure Storage