Unvertical NVMC
Non-Volatile Memory Cache — next-generation caching middleware that replaces expensive DRAM page cache with cost-effective NVM in disaggregated storage architectures.
Trade DRAM cost for NVM capacity
Modern data centers separate compute from storage for scalability, but this creates a latency problem. The standard fix — buffering data in DRAM page cache — is expensive and getting more so.
NVMC takes a fundamentally different approach.
Observe the mismatch
In disaggregated storage, DRAM used for caching is vastly overprovisioned in speed relative to the remote backend it fronts. That performance headroom is wasted money.
Replace with cheaper media
NVM (SLC NAND) is ~25× cheaper per GB than DDR5 but still orders of magnitude faster than remote storage. More capacity means higher hit ratio, which means better aggregate performance.
Use the spare bandwidth
Latency-bound workloads can't saturate network links to storage nodes. NVMC uses that idle bandwidth for speculative prefetching onto local NVM — trading bandwidth for latency.
Why this matters now
DRAM costs are rising sharply as manufacturers shift capacity from DDR5 to HBM for AI workloads. A technology that reduces DRAM dependency addresses an increasingly urgent need.
The first NVM-first compute-side cache
Every existing caching solution treats NVM as a secondary tier behind DRAM. NVMC inverts this hierarchy — NVM is the primary caching layer, not an afterthought.
NVM-First Cache Engine
Purpose-built for NVM characteristics: read/write asymmetry, higher latency than DRAM, I/O granularity. Not a DRAM engine with NVM bolted on.
Bandwidth-Aware Prefetching
Real-time analysis of I/O patterns and network utilization. Proactively fetches data onto local NVM using spare link bandwidth — possible only with NVM's capacity advantage.
Minimal DRAM Footprint
Redesigned metadata structures to minimize the engine's own DRAM consumption. The whole point is to reduce memory costs — the engine itself can't be the problem.
Transparent Block-Level Integration
Plugs in as a middleware layer compatible with Ceph, KVM/QEMU, Proxmox, HDFS, and distributed databases. No application changes required.
Built for disaggregated storage
NVMC is designed for environments where compute and storage are separated — the architecture pattern where its NVM-first approach delivers the most value.
Distributed Storage Clusters
Ceph, NFS-over-RDMA, NVMe-oF — reduce latency from remote storage nodes by caching and prefetching on local NVM at the compute layer.
Virtualization with Remote Storage
KVM/QEMU, Proxmox, OpenStack — accelerate VM disk I/O transparently while cutting the DRAM budget allocated to host page cache.
Databases on Shared Storage
Reduce query latency and DRAM costs for databases running against remote or shared storage backends. Particularly effective for read-heavy and mixed workloads.
Big Data & Analytics
HDFS, Spark, data lakes — cache iteratively accessed datasets locally on NVM. Speculative prefetching is especially effective for sequential scan patterns.
Help shape the future of compute-side caching
NVMC is currently at proof-of-concept stage. We're looking for 2–3 design partners with disaggregated storage environments who want to validate the technology on real workloads and influence the product roadmap.