SandForce
| Company type | Private (until acquisition) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Semiconductor |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Alex Naqvi, Rado Danilak |
| Defunct | 2012 (acquired) |
| Fate | Acquired by LSI Corporation |
| Headquarters | Milpitas, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Michael Raam (post-acquisition leader) |
| Products | Flash memory controllers for SSDs |
Number of employees | ~100 (2009) |
| Parent | LSI Corporation (2012–), then Avago Technologies, then Seagate Technology (Flash Components Division) |
SandForce was a semiconductor firm without its own fabrication facilities, located in Milpitas, California, focused on the creation of flash memory controllers designed for solid-state drives (SSDs). On January 4, 2012, SandForce was purchased by LSI Corporation, becoming part of LSI’s Flash Components Division. Subsequently, LSI was acquired by Avago Technologies in May 2014, and soon after, Seagate Technology announced its intention to acquire LSI’s Flash Components Division.
Established in 2006 by entrepreneurs Alex Naqvi and Rado Danilak, SandForce made its debut in the SSD sector in April 2009. The company specialized in engineering flash memory controllers—also known as SSD processors—that were incorporated by partners into full SSD products for manufacturers, businesses, and end consumers. Moreover, LSI integrated SandForce controllers within its Nytro PCIe product lineup. By 2011, SandForce had secured a prominent position in the market and was acknowledged as a top supplier of SSD controllers.
History
SandForce was founded by Alex Naqvi and Rado Danilak, both of whom had experience at companies such as Marvell, Intel, NVIDIA, Toshiba, and SanDisk. By the end of 2009, the company’s workforce had grown to approximately 100 employees.
The company’s initial capital came from private equity investors including Storm Ventures, Doll Capital Management (DCM), and several unnamed data storage firms. By April 2009, SandForce had accumulated over $20 million through two rounds of venture funding. In November 2009, a $21 million Series C funding round led by TransLink Capital brought in additional investors like LSI, ADATA, and Seagate Technology. Following that, in October 2010, the company raised $25 million in a Series D round spearheaded by Canaan Partners with participation from existing backers.
The board of directors included industry experts such as Carl Amdahl (DCM), Ryan Floyd (Storm Ventures), S. "Sundi" Sundaresh (former CEO of Adaptec), Jackie Yang (TransLink Capital), and Eric Young (Canaan Partners). Additionally, C.S. Park—who previously served as CEO of Maxtor and Hynix and was a Seagate board member—held a position on the board until mid-2011.
On October 26, 2011, LSI Corporation announced plans to acquire SandForce; this transaction was finalized by January 4, 2012, with SandForce becoming LSI’s Flash Components Division under the leadership of Michael Raam. In December 2013, Avago Technologies revealed its intention to purchase LSI for $6.6 billion, completing the acquisition in May 2014. Shortly thereafter, on May 29, 2014, Seagate Technology agreed to buy LSI’s Flash Components Division from Avago.
Technology
SandForce employed affordable multi-level cell (MLC) flash technology tailored for data center applications with an anticipated lifespan of five years. At the time it entered the market, most competitors relied on costlier single-level cell technology. The company’s proprietary "DuraClass" technology embedded within its controllers removes the necessity for DRAM caching, thereby lowering both expenses and system complexity. Its "DuraWrite" compression mechanism reduces the volume of data written to non-volatile memory, boosting performance and durability by decreasing write amplification to roughly 0.5 under typical workloads. However, write speeds tend to be slower when handling incompressible data types such as encrypted or random files. Additional innovations include "RAISE," an error detection and correction system that enhances disk failure rates, along with built-in AES encryption that secures data at the hardware level without diminishing performance. This encryption works alongside software-based security measures and drive locking features to prevent unauthorized access.
Products
SandForce initially divided its SSD controller offerings into two categories: enterprise-grade SF-1500 and client-oriented SF-1200, providing reference designs that enabled partners to develop complete storage solutions. The launch of the second-generation SF-2000 series in October 2010 focused on enterprise applications, delivering enhancements such as SATA 3.0 (6 Gbit/s) compatibility, increased throughput, advanced security, and improved data protection mechanisms. Subsequently, in February 2011, the SF-2500 series was released for client markets, featuring similar technology improvements.
In November 2013, SandForce unveiled the SF 3700 series controllers which added support for triple-level cell (TLC) flash memory to achieve greater storage densities and incorporated NVM Express to boost high-performance capabilities. Engineering samples of the PCIe x4 variant demonstrated sequential read/write speeds reaching 1,800 MB/s and random IOPS performance of 150K/80K. At CES 2014, Kingston introduced its HyperX "prosumer" SSD utilizing this controller, exhibiting comparable performance metrics. Mushkin also showcased SF 3700-based products at CES, including the M.2 Helix lineup with capacities up to 480 GB and 2.5-inch drives reaching as high as 2 TB.
The SF 3700 series comprises the following models:
- SF3719 — Entry-level controller with SATA 6 Gbit/s plus dual-lane PCIe support; features fewer firmware capabilities compared to mainstream variants
- SF3729 — Supports SATA 6 Gbit/s alongside dual-lane PCIe connectivity
- SF3739 — Offers quad-lane PCIe Gen 2 interface; includes optional battery or supercapacitor power-loss protection
- SF3759 — Equipped with a comprehensive enterprise feature set (specific details remain confidential)
All these variants are built on a common die fabricated using a 40 nm process technology. Lower-tier models leave portions of the silicon die unused. The RAISE error correction technology was enhanced to guard against multiple page or block failures and even complete die failures ("RAISE level 2"), while "fractional RAISE" was introduced to allocate less than an entire die for redundancy purposes.
Issues
Following the release of the SF-2000 controller series, some users experienced problems such as system freezes and Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors. In June 2011, Corsair Memory issued a recall for certain 120 GB Force 3 SSDs; however, other Force 3 models equipped with SandForce SF-2000 controllers were unaffected, indicating that the recall did not stem from the controller itself. By October of that year, SandForce distributed firmware updates via partners including OCZ to address these stability concerns. In August 2012, TweakTown revealed that SandForce SSDs running firmware versions 5.0.1 and 5.0.2 exhibited inadequate TRIM command support during full drive erasure; subsequent firmware releases (5.0.3 and 5.0.4) rectified these deficiencies.
It was disclosed in 2012 that drives based on the SF-2000 platform implemented AES-128 encryption rather than the advertised AES-256 standard. This reduction in encryption strength was presumably due to compliance with US ITAR regulations limiting export of stronger cryptographic technologies to certain countries. Models such as Kingston's SSDNow V+200 and KC100 were updated to specify their use of AES-128 encryption. Intel responded by offering refunds for Intel 520 Series SSD owners affected by this until January 1, 2012, while Kingston initiated exchange programs covering shipping expenses for customers requesting replacements.
Marketing programs
In May 2010, SandForce introduced the "SandForce Driven" branding initiative, permitting partners to feature a logo on their SSDs or promotional materials signifying integration of SandForce controllers and proprietary firmware technology. This marketing effort mirrored Intel's "Intel Inside" campaign and aimed to boost brand visibility while reinforcing SandForce's competitive positioning within the industry. By October 2013, the program had expanded to include 38 participating members, demonstrating widespread adoption across the market.
In January 2011, SandForce launched the "SandForce Trusted" program—an approved vendor list identifying suppliers offering compatible hardware and services. This initiative facilitated OEMs in achieving higher service quality levels and smoother integration with SandForce SSD processors, thereby strengthening both the company’s ecosystem and its business framework.