Shanghai, May 15, 2025 ¨C Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) and Hon Hai Technology Group¡¯s subsidiary, Hon Hai Technology, have announced a strategic partnership to develop a new rack-mounted top-of-rack (TOR) switch with embedded storage capabilities. This TOR EBOF (top-of-rack all-flash storage switch) enables distributed storage at the network edge, reducing latency in storage traffic, minimizing the need for separate storage networks, and eliminating data transfers to centralized storage arrays. Hon Hai Technology will leverage Western Digital¡¯s RapidFlex? NVMe-oF? bridging technology to manufacture high-density TOR EBOF devices, while Western Digital will collaborate on system architecture development and lead market promotion, targeting cloud service providers (CSPs) and storage original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with NVMe-oF disaggregated storage solutions.
Advancing AI Workflows with Disaggregated Storage
This collaboration marks a significant milestone for the rapidly growing AI market in China and globally, accelerating the adoption of networked disaggregated storage to meet the increasing demands of AI workflows. By combining Hon Hai Technology¡¯s expertise in GPU server manufacturing with Western Digital¡¯s proficiency in NVMe-oF and networked storage, the partnership delivers flexible disaggregated storage infrastructure for data centers. This approach enhances efficiency, scalability, and performance to address the challenges of large-scale AI applications.
TOR EBOF Specifications and Features
Set for release in 2027, the TOR EBOF integrates advanced networking and storage technologies. It incorporates Western Digital¡¯s next-generation RapidFlex? architecture bridging device, enabling embedded storage with support for 100G Ethernet and NVMe?/PCIe? Gen6 drive slots compatible with E3.S/L SSDs. Powered by NVIDIA¡¯s Spectrum?-4 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), the switch ensures high-performance data exchange. It also offers flexible 400/800GbE cabling options, providing a robust solution for future data center requirements.
RapidFlex? NVMe-oF? Bridging Technology
Western Digital¡¯s RapidFlex? NVMe-oF? bridging device is a pioneering solution for networked storage, offering low power consumption, high performance, and flexibility for modern data centers. This hardware-accelerated bridging device removes firmware from the performance path, achieving minimal latency for I/O read/write payloads through the adapter and enabling direct Ethernet connectivity. This approach seamlessly integrates NVMe SSDs into disaggregated storage architectures, allowing storage resources to scale independently of compute for efficient expansion.
