Padu expands product lineup to target AI data centers with 'Padu 2.0' strategy

Padu, a data center semiconductor company, is expanding its product lineup — including next-generation controllers — to meet growing demand from AI data centers. The company plans to broaden its business beyond SSD controllers into a full range of storage solutions optimized for AI data centers.

Padu announced Monday that it participated in the 2026 OCP Korea Tech Day, held Friday at COEX in Seoul, where it unveiled its AI data center-focused technology and product portfolio. OCP is a global open hardware community established to accelerate innovation in core infrastructure technologies — including servers, storage, networking, power and cooling — centered on data centers.

Padu said it is leading the market in meeting the performance, efficiency and security requirements of AI data centers through the development of next-generation Gen6 and Gen7 controllers. At the event, the company showcased a Gen6 SSD technology demonstration alongside its full AI data center-focused product and technology portfolio.

At the recent FMS 2026, Padu unveiled its "Padu 2.0" strategy, which calls for expanding the company's scope beyond supplying individual SSD controllers to covering the full range of solutions for AI data centers.

Also at the event, Dr. Kim Seung-min of Padu delivered a keynote address on "Flash Memory in AI Data Centers: The New Role of SSDs and Controllers," laying out how flash memory's role is shifting with the spread of AI and the direction in which controller technology is evolving.

"The surging volume of data in AI data centers and the cost of processing it are emerging as critical new challenges," Kim said.

Against this backdrop, Kim identified the key technical challenges that next-generation controllers must address as SSDs differentiate into distinct roles across memory, performance and capacity: small I/O processing performance, consistent latency, GPU-driven I/O, and line-rate security.

"We will continue to strengthen our leadership in the SSD and storage markets through our AI data center-focused portfolio," said Nam Yi-hyeon, chief executive of Padu.