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 five FlashCore Module generations to date (FCM1 through FCM5). FCM1 through FCM4 share the same U.2 NVMe form factor and a capacity ladder from 4.8 TB to 38.4 TB, and are cataloged across FlashSystem models from the 9100-family through the 9500/7300/5300/5200-class arrays. FCM5 is a physical break from that lineage: it uses the newer EDSFF form factor, is exclusive to the current FlashSystem 5600, 7600, and 9600, and is not installable in any older FCM1-FCM4 enclosure. 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, FCM4, or FCM5
- Usable capacity: 4.8 TB up to 38.4 TB (FCM1-FCM4), or 6.6 TB up to 105.6 TB (FCM5)
- 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