#AI-based SSD failure prediction

[ulinktechnologyinc]

AI-Based SSD Failure Prediction for Data Centers: Benefits and Challenges

Data centers rely on the reliability and performance of SSDs to manage vast amounts of data. However, as SSDs age, they can fail unexpectedly, leading to costly downtime and data loss. This is where AI-based SSD failure prediction comes into play. By leveraging artificial intelligence, data centers can proactively monitor and predict SSD failures before they happen, minimizing risks and ensuring smooth operations.

Benefits of AI-Based SSD Failure Prediction

Proactive Maintenance AI-based SSD failure prediction tools continuously monitor drive health using machine learning algorithms. They analyze key indicators like temperature, wear levels, and read/write cycles, providing early warnings before failure occurs. This allows data centers to replace faulty drives ahead of time, avoiding disruptions.

Minimized Downtime Predictive analytics can help schedule maintenance during off-peak hours, reducing downtime and maintaining uninterrupted service. Early detection enables timely backups, ensuring data integrity without the rush of emergency repairs.

Cost Savings By preventing unexpected SSD failures, AI-based systems reduce the need for emergency data recovery services, drive replacements, and system outages. This lowers overall operational costs in the long run.

Challenges of AI-Based SSD Failure Prediction

Data Overload Data centers generate massive amounts of real-time data. Filtering relevant information for accurate failure predictions can be challenging, requiring sophisticated AI algorithms and robust infrastructure.

Implementation Complexity Integrating AI-based SSD failure prediction into existing data center infrastructure can be complex and costly, requiring specialized knowledge and resources.

Despite these challenges, the advantages of AI-based SSD failure prediction are undeniable. By embracing this technology, data centers can enhance reliability, reduce operational costs, and ensure data security.

[ulinktehnology]

ULINK DA Drive Analyzer: AI-Powered Disk Drive Failure Prediction

The ULINK DA Drive Analyzer is a cutting-edge AI-based service designed to predict disk drive failures with remarkable accuracy. As data storage remains critical for individuals and enterprises, early detection of drive issues can save valuable time, money, and data. Powered by advanced machine learning algorithms, the Drive Analyzer leverages years of storage reliability research to provide users with actionable insights into the health of their drives.

At the core of the Drive Analyzer is a sophisticated AI model trained on extensive datasets from real-world drive performance metrics. It analyzes Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (SMART) data—a standard feature in most modern drives—to evaluate their health and predict potential failures. The tool offers a user-friendly interface and provides notifications or alerts when anomalies are detected, enabling users to take preventive action, such as backing up data or replacing the drive before a failure occurs.

ULINK's solution stands out due to its versatility and compatibility. It supports a wide range of drives, including HDDs and SSDs from multiple manufacturers. Its deployment options include both cloud-based and on-premises solutions, ensuring adaptability to diverse IT environments. This makes the Drive Analyzer particularly valuable for IT administrators, data centers, and individual users seeking proactive data management.

Beyond failure prediction, the Drive Analyzer contributes to extending the lifespan of storage devices by recommending best practices based on performance patterns. It is an indispensable tool for anyone looking to enhance data security and operational efficiency. With the ULINK DA Drive Analyzer, users gain peace of mind, knowing they can mitigate risks and protect their critical information with the power of AI.

This innovative service is a step forward in the realm of predictive maintenance, ensuring a safer and more reliable digital storage experience.

[san-storage-blog]

Innovations in SAN Storage Technology: Reinventing Enterprise Data Management

In the sprawling digital landscape of today's business world, Enterprise Storage Area Network (SAN) technology functions as the backbone of our data-centric universe. SAN systems are the unsung heroes, silently ferrying vital information through the corporate arteries, ensuring swift and secure delivery. Yet, like any technological giant, SAN is not impervious to the shifting tides of innovation. In this post, we will unravel the layers of SAN storage, exploring how it has adapted to and even catalyzed the technological frontiers we encounter today.

Understanding SAN Storage and Its Crucial Role

Before we plunge into the ocean of SAN innovations, it's pivotal to comprehend its foundational framework and importance within enterprise data management. SAN is a specialized, high-speed network designed to connect and manage data storage among multiple computer systems. It operates by allowing storage resources to be shared among different servers in a far more centralized and secure fashion than other data storage systems. Its architecture acts as a linchpin for consolidated, scalable, and highly available data center services, from day-to-day operations to disaster recovery.

The Pioneers of SAN Evolution

The evolution of SAN technology can be likened to a thrilling epic, filled with surprising turns and monumental leaps. Here we highlight a few key milestones that have shaped its evolution:

Fibre Channel and the Birth of SAN

Establishing connectivity at unprecedented speeds, Fibre Channel marked the birth of SAN. This high-performance interconnect was revolutionary, enabling the rapid movement of vast volumes of data safely across a network.

The Advent of iSCSI

Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) arrived on the scene as a more accessible alternative to Fibre Channel. By utilizing existing Ethernet networks, iSCSI extended SAN reach and usability, making enterprise-grade storage solutions available to a broader range of businesses.

Unified Storage and Convergence

The concept of unified storage, also known as multiprotocol storage, garnered attention by supporting both file-based protocols (like Network File System or SMB) and block-based protocols (Fibre Channel or iSCSI) within a single appliance. This convergence streamlined storage infrastructures, reducing complexity and costs.

The Modern Landscape of SAN Storage Innovations

Fast-forward to the current era, and SAN storage technology is at the precipice of several significant advancements. Here's a rundown of the innovations shaping the modern landscape:

NVMe: Revolutionizing Storage Performance

Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) has emerged as a game-changer, optimizing the performance of solid-state drives (SSDs) via a faster and more scalable host controller interface. The integration of NVMe over Fabric (NVMe-oF) further eliminates bottlenecks, delivering low-latency access to large-scale storage implementations.

AI and Machine Learning in SAN Management

SAN technology is leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to predict and prevent storage failures. With predictive analytics, SAN systems can forecast performance issues, ensure consistent service levels, and automate data placement, optimizing storage resources.

Software-Defined Storage (SDS)

The software-defined storage approach decouples storage services from the underlying hardware, providing organizations with more agnostic and flexible options. SDS allows for the management of storage resources via software, unchaining storage from vendor lock-in and empowering enterprises to tailor their storage environments to their specific needs.

Cloud Integration and Hybrid SAN

Recognizing the value of hybrid cloud solutions, SAN technology is increasingly integrating with public and private cloud platforms. This hybrid approach offers the scalability, flexibility, and cost-optimization benefits of cloud storage while maintaining the security and performance of on-premises SAN architectures.

The Future Visions of SAN Storage

Peering into the future, we anticipate even more profound transformations in SAN technology. Here are glimpses of what we foresee:

Quantum Storage

Quantum computing's entry into storage technology promises a revolutionary leap in processing power, potentially solving complex optimization problems and enabling a storage renaissance that's yet to be fully realized.

Genomic-Level Data Management

The burgeoning field of genomics and personalized medicine is generating datasets of unparalleled size and complexity. SAN technology is poised to meet this challenge, offering scalable solutions to manage, analyze, and extract insights from massive genomic datasets.

Environmental Considerations

With a global focus on sustainability, the next wave of SAN storage is likely to prioritize energy efficiency and environmental impact. Innovations in power utilization, materials, and recycling will shape the future of green SAN technologies.

Data Sovereignty and Security

In a world increasingly shaped by regulations around data sovereignty and privacy, SAN storage solution will continue to evolve to provide robust security controls and compliance features, ensuring that sensitive data is protected and managed in accordance with legal frameworks.

Navigating the SAN Innovation Journey

For enterprise storage managers and IT professionals, keeping abreast of SAN innovations is not just prudent—it's a professional imperative. As SAN technology continues to evolve, it's crucial to evaluate these changes not only in terms of technical capabilities but also in their potential to transform the way businesses operate and compete in the digital marketplace.

Conclusion

SAN storage technology stands at the nexus of enterprise data management, offering a testament to the relentless march of technological progress. From its nascent days anchored in Fibre Channel, SAN has navigated through the seas of innovation, shaping and revolutionizing the very fabric of enterprise storage.

In an ecosystem brimming with cutting-edge solutions, SAN storage technology remains a touchstone for the future. Its evolution is inexorably linked to the disruptive technologies and novel applications that we will encounter in the years to come. Enterprises that recognize and harness the potential of these SAN innovations will be well-positioned to thrive in the age of digital transformation.

[wolfliving]

2019 Embedded Vision Summit

*Tiny embedded neural-net cameras all over the place.  “Designing Home Monitoring Cameras for Scale, Enabling the Next Kitchen Experience Through Embedded Vision,” etc etc

https://www.embedded-vision.com/summit

MONDAY, MAY 20 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Training: Computer Vision Applications in OpenCV (Separate Registration Required)

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Training: Deep Learning for Computer Vision with TensorFlow 2.0 (Separate Registration Required)

TUESDAY, MAY 21 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Making the Invisible Visible: Within Our Bodies, the World Around Us, and Beyond KEYNOTE SPEAKER Mission City B1-B5

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM What’s Changing in Autonomous Vehicle Investments Worldwide – and Why? BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

10:45 AM - 11:50 AM An Introduction to Machine Learning and How to Teach Machines to See FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

10:45 AM - 11:50 AM Beyond CNNs for Video: the Chicken vs. the Datacenter TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM Performance Analysis for Optimizing Embedded Deep Learning Inference Software TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

11:20 AM - 11:50 AM Fast and Accurate RMNet: A New Neural Network for Embedded Vision TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

11:20 AM - 11:50 AM Making Cars That See - Failure is Not an Option BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Building AI Cameras with Intel Movidius VPUs ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Commercial Grade SLAM Frameworks for Indoor and Outdoor Applications ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Methods for Creating Efficient Convolutional Neural Networks TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Shifts in the Automated Driving Industry BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Teaching Machines to See, Understand, Describe and Predict Sports Games in Real Time TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Training Data for Your CNN: What You Need and How to Get It FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM Accelerating Smart Camera Time to Market Using a System-on-Module Approach ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM Automotive Vision Systems – Seeing the Way Forward BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM Introducing Hailo-8: The Most Efficient Deep Learning Processor for Edge Devices ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM Object Detection for Embedded Markets FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM Optimizing SSD Object Detection for Low-power Devices TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM Using Deep Learning for Video Event Detection on a Compute Budget TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

2:10 PM - 2:40 PM A Self-service Platform to Deploy State-of-the-art Deep Learning Models in Under 30 Minutes ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

2:10 PM - 2:40 PM Addressing Corner Cases in Embedded Computer Vision Applications BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

2:10 PM - 2:40 PM AI+: Combining AI and Other Critical Functions Using Intel FPGAs ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

2:10 PM - 2:40 PM AI-Powered Identity: Evaluating Face Recognition Capabilities TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

2:10 PM - 2:40 PM Hardware-aware Deep Neural Network Design TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

2:10 PM - 3:15 PM How to Choose a 3D Vision Sensor FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Designing Home Monitoring Cameras for Scale TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Enabling the Next Kitchen Experience Through Embedded Vision BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Highly Efficient, Scalable Vision and AI Processors IP for the Edge ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Neuromorphic Event-based Vision: From Disruption to Adoption at Scale ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Object Trackers: Approaches and Applications TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

4:20 PM - 4:50 PM Accessing Advanced Image Processing Feature Sets with Alvium Cameras Using a V4L2/GenICam Hybrid Driver ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

4:20 PM - 4:50 PM Accurately Measuring Viewer Attention for Maximum Marketing Impact Using Computer Vision BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

4:20 PM - 4:50 PM An Ultra-low-power Multi-core Engine for Inference on Encrypted DNNs ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

4:20 PM - 4:50 PM Enabling Automated Design of Computationally Efficient Deep Neural Networks TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

4:20 PM - 5:25 PM Fundamentals of Monocular SLAM FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

4:20 PM - 4:50 PM Selecting and Exploiting Sensors for Sensor Fusion in Consumer Robots TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

4:55 PM - 5:25 PM Low-power Computer Vision: Status, Challenges and Opportunities TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

4:55 PM - 5:25 PM Pioneering Analog Compute for Edge AI to Overcome the End of Digital Scaling ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

4:55 PM - 5:25 PM Sensory Fusion for Scalable Indoor Navigation TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

4:55 PM - 5:25 PM The Xilinx AI Engine: High Performance with Future-proof Architecture Adaptability ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

4:55 PM - 5:25 PM Three Key Factors for Successful AI Projects BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM Eye Tracking For The Future: The Eyes Have It FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM The Future of Computer Vision and Machine Learning is Tiny KEYNOTE SPEAKER Mission City B1-B5

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM APIs for Accelerating Vision and Inferencing: an Industry Overview of Options and Trade-offs TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM Designing Your Next Vision Product Using a Systems Approach BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM DNN Challenges and Approaches for L4/L5 Autonomous Vehicles TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM How to Get the Best Deep Learning Performance with the OpenVINO Toolkit ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM MediaTek’s Approach for Edge Intelligence ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM Separable Convolutions for Efficient Implementation of CNNs and Other Vision Algorithms FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

11:20 AM - 11:50 AM 5+ Techniques for Efficient Implementation of Neural Networks FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

11:20 AM - 11:50 AM Can We Have Both Safety and Performance in AI for Autonomous Vehicles? TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

11:20 AM - 11:50 AM Introducing MLPerf for Community-driven Benchmarking of Embedded Vision Systems TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

11:20 AM - 11:50 AM Machine Learning at the Edge in Smart Factories Using TI Sitara Processors ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

11:20 AM - 11:50 AM The Reality of Spatial Computing: What's Working in 2019 (and Where It Goes From Here) BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

11:20 AM - 11:50 PM Deploying Visual SLAM in Low-power Devices ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Accelerate Adoption of AI at the Edge with Easy to Use, Low-power Programmable Solutions ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Challenges and Approaches for Extracting Meaning from Satellite Imagery TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

1:00 PM - 2:05 PM Introduction to Optics for Embedded Vision FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Memory-centric Hardware Acceleration for Machine Intelligence ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM OpenCV: Current Status and Future Plans TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM Visual AI Enables Autonomous Security: Interview with William Santana Li BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM Deploying Deep Learning Models on Embedded Processors for Autonomous Systems with MATLAB ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM Dynamically Reconfigurable Processor Technology for Vision Processing ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM Mining Site Data Extraction Using 3D Machine Learning TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM Portable Performance via the OpenVX Computer Vision Library: Case Studies TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

1:35 PM - 2:05 PM Visual AI Applications and Technologies: Trends and Opportunities BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

2:10 PM - 2:40 PM High-performance DNNs at the Edge: Co-optimization of Model Architectures, Compiler and Accelerator ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

2:10 PM - 2:40 PM AI Is Moving to the Edge – What’s the Impact on the Semiconductor Industry? BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

2:10 PM - 2:40 PM Data Annotation At Scale: Pitfalls and Solutions TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

2:10 PM - 2:40 PM Improving the Safety and Performance of Automated Vehicles Through Precision Localization TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

2:10 PM - 2:40 PM Selecting the Right Imager for Your Embedded Vision Application FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

2:10 PM - 2:40 PM Tools and Techniques for Optimizing DNNs on Arm-based Processors with Au-Zone’s DeepView ML Toolkit ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Can Simulation Solve the Training Data Problem? TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Deep Learning for Manufacturing Inspection Applications FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Distance Estimation Solutions for ADAS and Automated Driving TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Embedded Vision Applications Lead Way for Processors in AI: A Market Analysis of Vision Processors BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Using High-level Synthesis to Bridge the Gap Between Deep Learning Frameworks and Custom Hardware Accelerators ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM Using TensorFlow Lite to Deploy Deep Learning on Cortex-M Microcontrollers ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

4:20 PM - 4:50 PM AI Reliability Against Adversarial Inputs TECHNICAL INSIGHTS I Mission City B1-B5

4:20 PM - 4:50 PM Applied Depth Sensing with Intel RealSense ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

4:20 PM - 4:50 PM Building Complete Embedded Vision Systems on Linux – From Camera to Display FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

4:20 PM - 4:50 PM Practical Approaches to Training Data Strategy: Bias, Legal and Ethical Considerations TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

4:20 PM - 4:50 PM Processor Options for Edge Inference: Options and Trade-offs BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

4:20 PM - 4:50 PM Using Blockchain to Create Trusted Embedded Vision Systems ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

4:55 PM - 5:25 PM Creating Efficient, Flexible, and Scalable Cloud Computer Vision Applications: An Introduction FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

4:55 PM - 5:25 PM Game Changing Depth Sensing Technique Enables Simpler, More Flexible 3D Solutions ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

4:55 PM - 5:25 PM Machine Learning-based Image Compression: Ready for Prime Time? TECHNICAL INSIGHTS II Mission City M1-M3

4:55 PM - 5:25 PM Snapdragon Hybrid Computer Vision/Deep Learning Architecture for Imaging Applications ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Vision Tank Start-Up Competition BUSINESS INSIGHTS Theater

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM Efficient Deployment of Quantized ML Models at the Edge Using Snapdragon SoCs ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 2

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM Fundamental Security Challenges of Embedded Vision FUNDAMENTALS Room 203/204

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM REAL3 Time of Flight: A New Differentiator for Mobile Phones ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES Exhibit Hall ET 1

THURSDAY, MAY 23 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Intel Workshop: Advanced Workshop on Intel Vision Technology and OpenVINO Toolkit (Separate Registration Required)

9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Intel Workshop: Intel Vision Technology and OpenVINO™ Toolkit Workshop (Separate Registration Required)

9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Khronos Workshop: Hardware Acceleration for Machine Learning and Computer Vision through Khronos Open Standard APIs Workshop (Separate Registration Required)

9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Synopsys Seminar: Embedded Vision Seminar: Navigating Intelligent Vision at the Edge (Separate Registration Required)

[gta-5-cheats]

Apple’s iMac Pro is a love letter to developers

New Post has been published on http://secondcovers.com/apples-imac-pro-is-a-love-letter-to-developers/

Apple’s iMac Pro is a love letter to developers

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T

he iMac Pro exists because it turns out that there is a lot of air underneath the aging Mac Pro and above the incredibly popular MacBook Pro. A single-digit percentage of Mac customers buy the Mac Pro and, in recent years, Apple had been seeing a major rise in “pro” customers of all shades purchasing iMacs because of their incredible screens, all-in-one form factor and overall ease of deployment.

Given that there was such an appetite for a beefier computer in this pocket of hardware, and given that it was already in motion to re-think the Mac Pro entirely, Apple decided to see exactly how ridiculous it could get with iMac performance inside what is essentially the exact same shell as the current machines — with a nice coat of color treatment and a few additional cosmetic differences.

Mac Pro Reset

You may recall that back in April of this year, Apple was abnormally candid about its failures with the Mac Pro. It had painted itself into a corner with that design, and needed to go back to one to re-think its approach. During that session, Apple executives told a roundtable that they were also rethinking what it meant to be a professional customer of Macs.

“First of all, when we talk about pro customers, it’s important to be clear that there isn’t one prototypical pro customer. Pro is such a broad term, and it covers many many categories of customers. And we care about all of these categories, and there’s a variety of different products those customers want,” says Schiller. 

“There’s music creators, there’s video editors, there’s graphic designers — a really great segment with the Mac. There’s scientists, engineers, architects, software programmers — increasingly growing, particularly our App development in the app store. So there are many many things and people called pros, Pro workflows, so we should be careful not to over simplify and say ‘Pros want this’ or ‘don’t want that’ — it’s much more complex than that.“

Apple iMac Pro

Schiller said that 15% of Mac customers use professional apps multiple times a week and 30% use them in some manner. And the large majority of those pros use MacBooks. However, the iMac was beginning to be disproportionately used by pros who either found the screens or form factor compelling or found the pace of updates of the Mac Pro stagnant.

“So many of our customers were moving to iMac that we saw a path to address many, many more of those that were finding themselves limited by Mac Pro through a next generation iMac,” said Apple’s Craig Federighi, “And [we] really put a lot of our energy behind that. [But,] while that [upgraded iMac] system is going to be fantastic for a huge number of customers — we want to do more.”

That more will be the upcoming Mac Pro. But the now is the iMac Pro — a machine that will hold an allure for pros looking for a beefy piece of hardware that can handle demanding tasks from rendering to medical imaging to VR — but that also holds some clues for the future of all of Apple’s Macs.

iMac Pro

I was able to see the iMac Pro and its new space grey accessories in New York yesterday, along with a series of demos from pros that Apple seeded with the machines for a few days to allow them to get a feel for what kinds of gains they would see from it.

The machine itself is physical a near match for the current iMac, aside from the dark grey finish.

The rear ports are definitely different, of course. You have 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, which run on two separate controllers, 2 ports each. So you should get blazing speeds on those whether they’re used for e-GPUs or storage or displays. There are 4 USB 3.0 A ports and SD slot and, for the first time ever, a 10 Gigabit ethernet port right on the back.

The 5k display is the same as the one that ships with current iMacs. You can order 1, 2 and 4 Terabyte SSD options with the new machine for storage.

Another change is the fact that you can now remove the stand from the iMac entirely and VESA mount it. Previously, you had to either use an after-market solution to mount an iMac or order it specially from the factory with the stand deleted, allowing for mounting.

Apple iMac Pro back

Configurations

Not every configuration of the iMac Pro will be available to order today online and in stores next week. You’ll be able to get the 8 and 10-core Intel Xeon W versions of the machine with any other memory, graphics or storage options you like, but the 14 and 18-core editions are just orderable now for delivery in January. Those new core configurations are previously unannounced options. Each has 1MB of L2 and 1.365MB of L3 cache.

To be clear: you can order any options the iMac offers today, except for the two higher-core processors. This, it turns out, is not that big of a limitation as the 10-core should really be the sweet spot anyway. The 10-core model offers the highest turbo speeds at 4.5GHz for single threaded performance and supports hyper threading, allowing 20 threads at a time to operate on tasks. This is enough to enable real-time playback on an 8k Red Weapon footage file in ProRes 4×4, for instance – or a 140 track Logic file.

The higher-core options are really best suited for applications that take full advantage of so many lower frequency cores. Machine learning or AI applications that use the multiple CPU cores to schedule jobs for the GPUs, for instance, or rendering pipelines for external GPUs now supported by iMac.

Shop On SecondCovers

Apple iMac Pro camera

If you’re not sure what to order, go 10-core. You’ll be able to jack the memory up to 128GB (non upgradeable by users, but upgradeable at a service center or store) and get the beefier Vega 64 graphics cards offered to end up with an incredibly impressive machine.

The Vega 56 and 64 options are absolutely the most powerful graphics cards that have ever been included in a Mac and I was able to see demanding VR applications, rendering tasks and real-time manipulation of 3D and video that would be completely impossible on any other iMac hardware — and would chug on the relatively beefy PC I use for VR currently.

These new processors support AVX-512 instructions as well, which will give developer users of multi-core iMac Pros a nice “free” performance bump if they’re using Apple libraries (or manually calling the instructions themselves).

The most interesting piece of hardware from an overall perspective, however, isn’t the more exotic graphics or processor options, but a system controller chip called the T2.

T2 and security

The T2 is an iteration of the T1 chips that are in current MacBooks, but it brings more functions of the machine into the fold. It controls the ISP that runs the 1080p camera, the audio controller including the 4 microphones and the louder speakers, the SSD controller and, importantly, the Secure Enclave that’s included in the iMac Pro.

The SE handles real-time automatic encryption for the SSD. This means hardware-based encryption with zero hit on the CPU, something that was always a compromise of FileVault. If your SSD is separated from the SE it cannot be read. If you want an additional layer of protection, you can also still use FileVault to inject your user key into the mix, preventing target disk access.

The T2 also validates the entire boot process (an option that can be disabled) from start to finish, preventing injection attacks at a physical access level.

The T2’s additional layers of security are absolutely coming to the rest of the Mac line. That’s a personal prediction, btw, Apple wouldn’t say. But duh. It struck me, though, that this beefier security which has built-in protections against sophisticated attackers, would be very popular in government or research applications. If I’m a buyer with security heightened needs, issa bulk buy, imo.

Which brings us to the real question.

Who is the customer?

The demos that Apple had lined up tell the tale of who they’re pitching this machine to. Four different VR applications, several render-heavy workflows that were upgraded from minutes or hours of waiting to real-time on the iMac Pr and a session with a bunch of simultaneous multi-device simulators running on top of browser tests running in emulators of Windows and OS X machines all while compiling Linux from source – and nary a fan was heard spinning up.

Survios showed off Electronauts, its music creation/rhythm game hybrid on a Vive, which added support via steam earlier this year. Using a full-fledged VR application from one of the best developers in the field on a Mac was a treat. I’ve run VR systems on my iMac and it has never been a pleasant experience. Sitting at my desk now I have an entire PC tower just to the right of my legs almost solely to support the multiple headsets I run. It will be great to be able to move back to a single machine for gaming and VR for me. But, more importantly, the iMac Pro is now suddenly a viable option for VR developers.

This becomes important in mixed-pipeline environments, pointed out Oluwaseyi Sosanya of 3D design tool Gravity Sketch. Because they’re super focused on supporting the automotive industry, they’re used to designers having to leave the Mac to jump to their modeling tools and then back to the Mac where they love to design. The iMac Pro plugs that gap and makes it easier for designers to adopt digital modeling tools that would normally have relied on a PC workflow being inserted into the process.

Some folks from Cinema 4D were on hand to talk about stacking external GPUs onto the Thunderbolt arrays, ramping up and down on the complexity of a scene, enabling them to work in real rendered viewports which took only a few seconds to get a usable frame and a few minutes to display at production quality — something that would normally require shipping off to a render farm and waiting.

Real-time or near-real-time rendering of architectural scenes, medical imaging and digital compositing also showed off the machine’s power.

OsiriX MD

The messaging was interesting to me. It was absolutely, clearly, a love letter to developers. Most of the Mac and iOS developers I know use iMacs or MacBook Pro machines – especially given the limited nature of the Mac Pro as it exists now. And given that Apple says the Mac Pro will focus on ‘modularity’, I think that the iMac Pro is going to be one of the most powerful integrated machines of its generation.

There’s nothing here that recommends waiting for a software developer. I really believe that the Mac Pro will fall much more on the industrialized spectrum than in previous generations. The pricing is comparable to build-your-own options, and you don’t get Apple’s all-in-one system tricks like the T2. And while the price tag is nothing to joke about — $4,999 to start — it’s a drop in the bucket for the medical and professional industries. A $700 seat of OsiriX and an iMac Pro to stack slices of a CAT scan into a real-time 3D model of a vascular system in distress is nothing to a surgeon looking for more precision.

And, of course, Apple’s own data supports that there was a chunk of open air underneath the Mac Pro, even at its newest.

All of the benchmarks and, hopefully, real-world stress tests, will follow to tell us exactly how well the iMac Pro pays off on its promises, but so far it’s looking like Apple has a powerful new machine to plug its leaky pro hole.

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AI-based SSD failure prediction refers to the use of advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to analyze and forecast potential failures in solid-state drives (SSDs). SSDs, being critical components in modern computing systems, store valuable data, and their unexpected failure can lead to significant data loss and downtime. AI-driven systems leverage historical data, real-time monitoring, and predictive analytics to identify patterns and anomalies that indicate imminent failures.

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AI-Based Hard Drive Health Monitoring: What’s New?

In today’s data-driven world, the reliability of storage devices is more critical than ever. Whether it's a personal laptop or an enterprise server, hard drive failure can lead to massive data loss, downtime, and financial repercussions. Traditional monitoring tools based on SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) have served us well, but they often detect problems only after they begin. Enter AI-based hard drive health monitoring—a game-changing advancement offering smarter, more predictive insights.

What Is AI-Based Hard Drive Monitoring?

AI-based hard drive monitoring systems leverage machine learning algorithms to analyze vast amounts of drive telemetry data in real time. These tools don’t just read SMART attributes—they learn patterns from thousands (or millions) of drives and predict potential failures before they happen.

This approach goes beyond static threshold-based alerts. By recognizing subtle behavior anomalies and correlations invisible to the human eye, AI offers early, actionable warnings with far greater accuracy.

What’s New in 2025?

Deeper Predictive Analytics Modern AI tools can now factor in workload patterns, environmental conditions, and historical failure models. This results in much higher prediction accuracy and fewer false positives.

Cloud-Integrated Dashboards Platforms like ULINK DA Drive Analyzer now offer cloud-based dashboards where users can monitor multiple drives remotely, view risk levels, and receive failure probability scores—all backed by AI.

SSD-Specific Insights AI tools are becoming more SSD-savvy. With wear-leveling and limited write cycles being critical concerns, newer models track endurance and usage trends to estimate SSD lifespan more reliably than ever before.

Enterprise Scalability From individual users to large data centers, AI-based solutions can now scale across thousands of devices, integrating with IT management systems for seamless monitoring.

Why It Matters

AI-based hard drive health monitoring is transforming how we manage digital storage. It empowers users to take proactive action—backing up data, replacing drives, and avoiding system failures before disaster strikes.

In short, the future of hard drive health checker is not just about detecting issues—it’s about predicting and preventing them. And with AI, that future is already here.

DA SmartQuest is an application that delivers DA Drive Analyzer’s AI-based drive health prediction service, and more, to your PC drives. It does this by reading and uploading your drive’s health data (not personal data) to DA Drive Analyzer’s cloud servers for analysis and failure prediction. This process, which provides your PC drives with access to rich features such as AI-based alerts, threshold-based alerts, and detailed health metrics, takes about one day. Once AI-based drive health predictions and threshold-based alerts are generated, they are displayed directly in the application. Additional features, such as detailed drive health metrics, can be viewed online in DA Portal. The application can also be configured to work in an offline-only capacity if security is a concern, or web access is limited.

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What is Drive Failure? Causes, Signs, and Prevention

A drive failure occurs when a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD) stops functioning properly, leading to data inaccessibility, corruption, or complete loss. Since drives store critical data—including operating systems, files, and applications—failure can cause serious disruptions.

In this article, we will explore the causes of drive failure, the warning signs to look out for, and how to prevent it to safeguard your data.

What is Drive Failure?

Drive failure refers to the malfunction of a storage device, rendering it unable to read, write, or retrieve stored data. It can be sudden or gradual, depending on the cause.

There are two main types of drive failure:

Physical Failure – Occurs due to hardware damage, mechanical issues, or power failures.

Logical Failure – Results from file system corruption, malware attacks, or software errors.

Whether you are using an HDD or an SSD, understanding the common causes of drive failure can help you take preventive measures.

Common Causes of Drive Failure

Several factors contribute to drive failure, including:

1. Mechanical Wear and Tear (HDDs Only)

Hard disk drives contain moving parts, such as spinning platters and read/write heads. Over time, these components wear out, leading to failure.

Average lifespan: 3–5 years, depending on usage and maintenance.

2. Electrical Failures and Power Surges

Sudden power outages, voltage fluctuations, and improper shutdowns can damage a drive’s circuitry.

Using an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) helps prevent this.

3. Overheating

High temperatures can damage internal components and reduce drive lifespan.

Causes: Poor ventilation, prolonged usage, or dust buildup inside the system.

4. Physical Damage

Dropping a laptop or external drive can result in physical damage to internal components, making data inaccessible.

SSDs are more shock-resistant than HDDs, but they are still vulnerable to extreme impacts.

5. Bad Sectors and Data Corruption

Bad sectors are portions of a drive that become unreadable due to physical or logical damage.

Frequent crashes, incomplete file transfers, and unexpected shutdowns contribute to data corruption.

6. Malware and Ransomware Attacks

Viruses and malware can corrupt files, modify boot sectors, or encrypt data, leading to drive failure.

Using reliable antivirus software helps reduce this risk.

7. Manufacturing Defects

Some drives fail early due to factory defects. This is why checking warranty coverage and running diagnostic tests on new drives is crucial.

Warning Signs of Drive Failure

Watch out for these early symptoms of drive failure:

✅ Frequent system crashes or blue screen errors (BSODs) ✅ Slow performance and file access delays ✅ Strange clicking, grinding, or buzzing noises (for HDDs) ✅ Frequent file corruption or missing files ✅ Error messages during boot-up (e.g., “No bootable device found”) ✅ Unrecognized or disappearing drive ✅ Overheating and sudden shutdowns

If you notice any of these signs, it’s time to back up your data and check your drive’s health.

How to Prevent Drive Failure

Taking proactive steps can significantly extend the life of your drive and protect your data.

1. Regularly Check Drive Health

Use drive health monitoring tools such as:

CrystalDiskInfo (Windows) – SMART monitoring

DA Drive Analyzer® is a service that monitors the health of your storage drives, predicts drive problems, and alerts you to impending drive failures.

DA SmartQuest is an application that delivers DA Drive Analyzer’s AI-based drive health prediction service, and more, to your PC drives. 

2. Keep a Backup of Important Data

Follow the 3-2-1 Backup Rule:

3 copies of data

2 different storage types

1 offsite backup (cloud storage)

3. Use a Surge Protector or UPS

Protects your drive from sudden voltage fluctuations and power cuts.

4. Avoid Overheating

Ensure proper ventilation and clean dust from your system regularly.

Avoid running high-performance tasks for long hours without breaks.

5. Scan for Malware Regularly

Install a trusted antivirus program and keep your operating system updated.

6. Handle Drives with Care

If using an external HDD, avoid shaking or dropping it while in use.

If you have an SSD, avoid excessive write operations to prolong its lifespan.

7. Replace Aging Drives Before They Fail

If your drive is more than 4–5 years old, consider replacing it before failure occurs.

Final Thoughts

Drive failure can be catastrophic, but early detection and preventive measures can save you from unexpected data loss. By regularly monitoring your drive, keeping backups, and taking care of your hardware, you can extend your storage device’s lifespan and ensure data safety.