PRESS RELEASE
Q1 2026
DDP has introduced a new generation of its High Availability storage architecture, allowing different storage technologies — including NVMe, SSD and HDD — to operate together within one High Availability environment, one file system and one namespace.
The new architecture, launched in Q1 2026, is based on both new hardware possibilities and, more importantly, significant developments within the DDP software platform.
DDP has provided High Availability shared-storage systems for many years. Traditionally, however, different classes of storage hardware have been deployed as separate architectures. SAS HDD and SAS SSD can be combined within conventional SAS-based storage, while NVMe requires a fundamentally different hardware platform.
The new DDP architecture changes this by allowing these different storage technologies to be brought together as part of one unified HA storage environment.
NVMe Performance and HDD Capacity in One Environment
A DDP HA system can now combine dedicated high-performance NVMe storage with SSD and high-capacity HDD storage, while presenting the complete environment to users through the same DDP file system and namespace.
This means organizations no longer need to treat high-performance NVMe and large-capacity HDD storage as completely separate storage islands.
One example is a 2.9 PB DDP system deployed in the Middle East, combining NVMe and HDD storage within the same overall DDP architecture.
The system demonstrates how very high-performance storage and large-capacity media storage can coexist within a single production environment.
Different Projects, Different Storage Locations
Although users work within one namespace, DDP administrators can determine where individual project data is physically located.
A demanding finishing, VFX or high-resolution production can be placed on NVMe storage, while another production can reside on SSD and large media libraries or less performance-critical projects can be placed on HDD.
The storage location can therefore be selected according to the needs of each project without changing the way users access their data.
This gives customers the ability to balance performance, capacity and cost while maintaining one consistent workflow.
High Availability at the Core
The architecture is controlled by the DDP High Availability Head, providing redundant storage controllers and eliminating dependence on a single storage head.
The same HA environment can therefore manage multiple classes of storage while maintaining a unified file system and namespace.
The Innovation Is in the Software
The key development is not simply the addition of faster drives or greater capacity.
The innovation is the DDP software architecture that allows fundamentally different storage technologies and physical data locations to operate together within one High Availability environment.
This software layer enables NVMe, SSD and HDD storage to be used according to the requirements of individual projects while remaining part of the same DDP infrastructure.