Samsung Electronics and Western Digital (Nasdaq: WDC) today announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a unique collaboration to standardize and drive broad adoption of next-generation data placement, processing and fabrics (D2PF) storage technologies. The companies will initially focus on aligning their efforts and creating a vigorous ecosystem for Zoned Storage solutions. These steps will enable the industry to focus on countless applications that ultimately create greater value for customers.

This marks the first time that both Samsung and Western Digital have come together as technology leaders to create widespread alignment and stimulate awareness for important storage technologies. Focusing on enterprise and cloud applications, the partnership is expected to spur a range of collaborations around technology standardization and software development for D2PF technologies like Zoned Storage. With this collaboration, end-users can have confidence that these emerging storage technologies will have support from multiple device vendors as well as from vertically integrated hardware and software companies.

“Storage is the essential foundation for how people and businesses consume and use data. To enable today’s needs and tomorrow’s next big ideas, we must innovate, collaborate and keep pace as an industry in bringing new standards and architectures to life,” said Rob Soderbery, EVP and GM, Flash Business Unit at Western Digital. “In order for a technology ecosystem to be successful, overall frameworks and general solution models must come together so they do not suffer from fragmentation, which delays adoption and adds unnecessary complexity for software stack developers.”

Soderbery added, “For years Western Digital has been laying the foundation for the Zoned Storage ecosystem by contributing to the Linux kernel and open-source software community. We are excited to bring these contributions to this joint initiative with Samsung in facilitating wider adoption of Zoned Storage for users and application developers.”

“This collaboration is a testament to our relentless effort to exceed customers’ needs now and in the future, and holds special meaning in how we anticipate it will actively grow into a larger basis of engagement for Zoned Storage standardization,” said Jinman Han, Corporate EVP, Head of Memory Sales & Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Our collaborative efforts will embrace hardware and software ecosystems to ensure that as many customers as possible can reap the benefits of this highly important technology.”

The two companies have already kickstarted an initiative around Zoned Storage devices, including ZNS (Zoned Namespaces) SSDs and SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) HDDs. Through organizations such as SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association) and the Linux Foundation, Samsung and Western Digital will define high-level models and frameworks for next-generation Zoned Storage technologies. With a commitment to enable open and scalable data center architectures, they have founded the Zoned Storage TWG (Technical Work Group), which was approved by SNIA in December 2021. The group is already defining and specifying common use cases for Zoned Storage devices, as well as host/device architecture and programming models.

In addition, this collaboration is expected to serve as a starting point to expand zone-based (e.g. ZNS, SMR) device interfaces, as well as future-generation, high-capacity storage devices with enhanced data placement and processing technologies. At a later stage, these initiatives will be expanded to include other emerging D2PF technologies such as computational storage and storage fabrics including NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF).

About Western Digital

Western Digital creates environments for data to thrive. As a leader in data infrastructure, the company is driving the innovation needed to help customers capture, preserve, access and transform an ever-increasing diversity of data. Everywhere data lives, from advanced data centers to mobile sensors to personal devices, our industry-leading solutions deliver the possibilities of data. Western Digital data-centric solutions are comprised of the Western Digital®, SanDisk® and WD® brands.

For more information about Zoned Storage, please visit ZonedStorage.io.

Tin is extracted from an ore named cassiterite. In ancient history it even served as a denomination for the mythical “Cassiterides”, literally the “Tin Islands” situated somewhere off the coast of Spain, Britany (France) and Cornwall (United-Kingdom). Nowadays, the major global tin producers are China, Indonesia and Malaysia. The “Tin Islands” do exist some could argue: Indonesia produces approximately one-third of the global tin supply of which the most part is extracted from the Bangka-Belitung islands.

Beyond the disasters of armed conflicts in the DRC and neighboring countries, small-scale artisanal tin mining in Indonesia is one of the most prominent source of environmental and social damage. Thousands of artisanal miners, seeking to provide for their families, extract tin in unsafe conditions to sell it to smelters, amidst widespread corruption. Consumers, customers, NGOs and companies alike are concerned about these issues. Friends of the Earth (FoE), a global NGO, asserts that tin mining on Indonesia’s Bangka Island is causing significant damage to the local environment, including the marine ecosystem such as coral islands, as well as the area’s industries, including agriculture and fishing. As such, FoE has called on global companies to join forces to address the situation.

Within the electronics industry, tin is mainly used for solders having in mind that electronics is broader than the ICT industry, more sectors need to address these issues. Indeed, tin due to its properties, is widely used across the electronics, automobile, and packing industries. Though Samsung Electronics does not directly source tin from Indonesia it can be found in our devices, nevertheless and similar to other industry players, Samsung decided to support a responsible approach to mineral sourcing.

Therefore, Samsung did not go the easy road, simply making sure our suppliers buy minerals from outside Indonesia and conflicts affected areas. This would have shielded the company from criticism but would have caused increased damage to the regions and isolate even more the local communities. In 2013, Samsung Electronics joined the Indonesian Tin Working Group (TWG) composed of likeminded technology companies, the tin industry and civil society; coordinated by the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH). With its renewed support, Samsung is working closely with IDH, the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) and various other stakeholders, including the local Indonesian government, smelters, companies, and NGOs such as Friends of the Earth, to find a reasonable solution to these concerns. At the end of 2015, Samsung decided to support the TWG Incentives Guide and is looking at pilot projects which could be launched in 2016.

The same principle applies to the DRC and neighboring countries. Samsung indeed strongly supports the ban on conflict minerals, yet we decided instead of choosing to end the relationship with the non-compliant suppliers, to rather work with them. Consequently, Samsung is seeking ways to eliminate the use of conflict minerals in all of its products, including tin. Internally, Samsung has developed its own compliance system: the “Internal Trade Compliance System” (TCS). With this Samsung monitors its own use and origin of conflict minerals. Collectively, Samsung participates in the EICC’s Conflict Free Sourcing Program (CFSP). Through the CFSP the electronics industry has developed an audit process to validate smelters’ and refiners’ sourcing practices – CFSP compliant smelters and refiners receive a “conflict free” designation. Focusing on this ‘pinch point’ in the supply chain is important, as beyond this point it becomes technically impossible to identify the origin of minerals or metals.

Samsung Electronics also encourages all its suppliers to participate in the CFSP. Our supplier Code of Conduct (CoC) released online in September 2015 aims to create ethical and responsible supply chain at all levels by encourages our suppliers to go beyond the management of ethical compliance at their own facilities to reach their own suppliers. Since 2011, we have organized annual training and briefing sessions for suppliers to stress the importance of the ban on conflict minerals and conducted audit investigations. In 2015 we conducted 480 on-site inspections of our suppliers. We will continue to work closely with suppliers to ensure conflict minerals are not used.

In essence acting responsibly is not about pointing fingers but calls for the inclusion of multiple sectors in improving the situation for workers in conflict zones, for Indonesian workers and the environment. Working towards collective solutions, staying engaged is the approach we have chosen.

Source: http://www.idhsustainabletrade.com/mining-and-minerals