Glossary Term

FlashCore Module (FCM)

IBM's custom NVMe flash drive for FlashSystem and Storage Virtualize based storage, built with hardware-level compression and encryption.

Definition

A FlashCore Module is IBM's purpose-built NVMe storage drive used in FlashSystem and Storage Virtualize based arrays, including arrays that sit behind IBM Power and IBM i workloads through SAN attachment. Unlike a generic commodity SSD, FlashCore Modules perform inline compression and encryption in the drive's own controller rather than on the storage system's general-purpose processors, which is why IBM markets them as a performance and density advantage over standard NVMe media.

IBM has released four FlashCore Module generations to date (FCM1 through FCM4), each cataloged across a capacity ladder from 4.8 TB to 38.4 TB. Every capacity within a generation carries its own IBM part number and feature code, and buyers should treat those identifiers as configuration-specific rather than interchangeable across FlashSystem models or generations.

  • Generation: FCM1, FCM2, FCM3, or FCM4
  • Usable capacity: 4.8 TB, 9.6 TB, 19.2 TB, or 38.4 TB
  • Part number: the exact orderable identifier for a given capacity and configuration
  • Feature code: the frame-specific code used on an IBM configurator or quote

Example

A FlashSystem array reaching capacity might be expanded with additional 9.6 TB Gen 3 FlashCore Modules rather than a full array replacement, provided the drawer has open slots and the controller firmware supports Gen 3 media.