While E3 form factors began with a focus on traditional enterprise server and storage use cases, hyperscalers are evaluating E3 for use in scale-out environments. Many server, storage and SSD companies with 2.5-inch storage solutions are aligned with the E3 Family.

The Enterprise and Data Center Standard Form Factor (EDSFF), previously known as the Enterprise and Data Center SSD Form Factor, is a family of solid-state drive (SSD) form factors for use in data center servers.

Jun 29, 2021 · As we transition into the PCIe Gen5 SSD era, EDSFF is going to be what many of STH’s community will want. Instead of M.2 and 2.5″ we are going to have E1.S, E1.L, E3.S, and E3.L along with a mm designation that means something different than it does with M.2 SSDs.

An E3.S 2T is designed to enable 25% to 50% more flash packages compared to today’s U.2 form factor SSD (2.5-inch, 15mm Z-height). E3.L variants provide roughly the same and ~2x the capacity of today’s 2.5” SSDs with E3.L (7.5mm Z-height) and E3.L 2T form factors, respectively.

HPE NVMe High Performance RI EDSFF E3.S SSDs replace the traditional 2.5 inch small form factor SSD while supporting greater density of NVMe drives. It provides high-performance data transfers at rates faster than SAS or SATA SSDs.

EDSFF, short for Enterprise and Data Center SSD Form Factor, is a standard set by industry leaders to address the limitations of traditional SSD form factors. It's designed with the specific needs of data centers in mind, optimizing for airflow, density, serviceability, and performance.

Mar 6, 2025 · Unlike traditional M.2 SSDs, which require powering down the entire server and removing it from the rack for replacement, the EDSFF (E1.S & E3.S) SSDs support hot-swapping directly from the front of the server, eliminating the need for a full shutdown. This feature significantly enhances serviceability and saves valuable time during maintenance.

Nov 19, 2024 · With support for up to x16 lanes, E3.S is ideal for environments requiring high computational performance. E3.L comes in a larger form factor with a maximum power consumption of up to 70W, making it perfectly suited for 2U servers.

An E3.S 2T SSD is designed to enable more flash memory chips when compared to today’s U.2 form factor SSD (at 2.5-inch, 15mm Z-height). E3.L variants provide roughly the same amount of flash memory chips as well as ~2x the capacity of today’s 2.5-inch drives.

Feb 23, 2021 · The new EDSFF form factors (such as E3.S) enable higher system density and more effective forms for high-performance racks. They also provide a common connector for GPUs and advanced network interface cards.