SanDisk WD Ultrastar DC SN861 NVMe SSD 7.68TB

The SanDisk WD Ultrastar DC SN861 is a PCIe Gen 5 x4 NVMe 1.1 enterprise SSD engineered for the most demanding AI inference, high-performance computing, and data-intensive workloads. Built on a 3D NAND architecture and leveraging the full bandwidth of the PCIe 5.0 interface, the SN861 delivers a substantial leap in sequential throughput and IOPS density over previous-generation enterprise drives, making it well-suited for environments where storage latency and bandwidth are direct constraints on compute efficiency. The 7.68 TB capacity point (part number WUS5LA176ESP7E1) addresses hyperscale and enterprise deployments where maximising usable storage per drive slot reduces infrastructure footprint.

The SN861 is designed for read-intensive and mixed-use enterprise workloads and conforms to the U.2 (SFF-8639) 2.5-inch 15 mm form factor, ensuring broad compatibility with existing enterprise server platforms that expose PCIe Gen 5 slots through standard U.2 backplanes. The drive implements end-to-end data path protection, power-loss protection circuitry, and hardware-based encryption (AES 256-bit) to meet enterprise reliability and security requirements. Rated endurance and consistent quality-of-service characteristics under deep queue depths make it a strong candidate for latency-sensitive database and AI/ML data pipeline applications.

Targeted specifically at AI training and inference infrastructure, real-time analytics engines, and enterprise storage arrays, the Ultrastar DC SN861 represents WD's flagship PCIe Gen 5 NVMe offering under the SanDisk enterprise brand. Its combination of high sequential read bandwidth, strong random read IOPS, and enterprise-grade firmware features including telemetry and out-of-band management support positions it for deployment in next-generation GPU server platforms, all-flash arrays, and high-throughput object storage nodes.

Ideal for

• AI and machine learning model training data ingestion, where high sequential read bandwidth from the SN861 reduces GPU/CPU starvation during large dataset streaming
• AI inference serving infrastructure requiring low-latency, high-IOPS NVMe storage to feed accelerator cards with model weights and input batches at scale
• High-performance computing (HPC) scratch and checkpoint storage, leveraging PCIe Gen 5 throughput to accelerate parallel I/O across compute nodes
• Latency-sensitive relational and NoSQL database deployments where consistent QoS at mixed read/write queue depths is critical to transaction throughput
• Real-time analytics and data lakehouse platforms that require sustained high-bandwidth access to large, frequently scanned datasets
• Enterprise all-flash array (AFA) and hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) build-outs seeking maximum capacity-per-slot with Gen 5 performance headroom for future workload growth

Technical specifications

Available from Omnixon Global. Submit an RFQ and our team will confirm configuration and availability for your order.