QLogic’s newest server adapter cards will come with flash storage built into them, transforming them into PCIe-connected flash caches. The cache is designed to reduce I/O waits that delay CPU performance due to disk latency or network cross times.

The adapter cards sit in the server-SAN data path between a server and the networked block storage arrays. The application acceleration boost could be up to 90 percent and could also result in better response times and the ability to run more virtual machines without risk of bogging down a system.

QLogic’s new cards could prove to be very useful as it battles competitors Emulex, Mellanox, and Brocade in the server Ethernet adapter market. This new comes after QLogic revealed disappointing numbers in its last quarterly earnings report, showing a revenue decrease of 9.8 percent from the previous year.

According to The Register, QLogic will also partner with NetApp, which announced Tuesday that it will sell server cache solutions, namely software called NetApp Flash Accel, which claims to turn server flash into “hot” data storage, boosting performance up to 90 percent. QLogic will be among seven total partners in its Alliance Partner Program providing this technology for NetApp.