How Smarter Storage Can Extend Smart Meter Lifespan – Insights from Tuxera

Leading smart meter manufacturers like Itron, Kamstrup and Growatt design their meters to last 20 years or more. But many start having operational issues within just seven years in the field. In the UK, for example, nearly four million smart meters didn’t work properly in 2024.

While hardware issues often take the blame, the real problem might lie somewhere less obvious: in your file systems and flash software controllers. In this article, we’ll shed light on a hidden threat to smart meter longevity and share practical solutions to help engineering teams extend their lifespan.

Why your smart meter longevity is at risk

Smart meters work around the clock—logging data, recording events, and updating firmware—with data and event logs typically being stored in SQLite databases. This constant activity puts a lot of pressure on NAND flash memory.

Most meters run on real-time operating systems (RTOS), with resource-constrained microcontroller units (MCUs) and limited memory. In this environment, flash storage becomes the weakest link. Factors like file system overhead, metadata updates, journaling, and garbage collection—moving valid data around to reclaim free space—all worsen the issue.

In an unoptimized system, these factors add up, causing flash memory to exceed its endurance limits sooner than expected. Many engineering teams overlook this risk, assuming default file systems are enough for smart meters. However, standard file systems are designed for general use, not the demanding endurance requirements of long-life embedded devices.

Smart meters are typically low-cost devices, often costing around 40 euros or less, so adding more flash memory might seem like an easy solution to extend lifespan. But this increases the bill of materials (BoM) and the hardware cost per device—something original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can’t afford if they want to stay competitive in a cost-sensitive market.

The hidden threat: Write amplification in NAND Flash

Write amplification means a system writes more data than intended. For example, if your application writes 1KB of data, NAND flash memory could end up writing 8KB or more due to storage inefficiencies. The higher the write amplification, the faster the flash memory wears out—cutting device lifespan short.
Write amplification in smart meters causes premature wear on NAND flash memory, which can lead to data loss, unexpected failures, and costly replacements. This overlooked issue is dramatically shortening the life of smart meters across the industry.

Our recent SQLite workload tests show that write size, sync intervals, and concurrent processes significantly increase the write amplification factor (WAF). While longer intervals between syncs can help merge writes, they also raise the risk of data loss, which is a real problem for field devices like smart meters.

To dive deeper into these test results, check out our whitepaper How write amplification kills designs: steps to avoid early obsolescence.

So, the real challenge is: how can you solve the write amplification problem without increasing hardware costs or data loss?

The best approach: File systems & flash software controllers designed for longevity

Standard file systems aren’t designed for NAND flash, leading to excessive write amplification and premature wear. Flash-friendly file systems, however, significantly reduce this write amplification factor (WAF) and improve flash endurance.

Smart flash software controllers also make a difference. They manage how data gets written, erased, and redistributed across the memory. With better wear leveling and garbage collection, they prevent any single flash block from getting overworked, extending your device’s life and improving flash endurance in smart meters.
Power outages are inevitable for smart meters. When they happen, data corruption becomes a major risk. The right combination of file systems and flash software controllers provides robust protection, keeping your data intact and your operations stable.

A senior R&D manager at a leading smart meter company shared their experience with Tuxera Reliance Nitro™ file system and FlashFX Tera™ flash software controller: “We successfully completed lifespan testing, simulating over 20 years of product use with more than 1.2 billion SQLite3 write transactions.”

While their testing met the minimum lifespan requirement, our engineering team helped them optimize their system even further, extending the meter’s lifespan up to 32 years. This shows that even a small component like the file system can have a huge impact on overall device longevity.

Ensure a 20-year smart meter lifespan with smarter storage

To sum it up, you need to consider file systems and write amplification from the start to overcome smart meter longevity challenges.
By choosing the right embedded solutions for your smart meters, you can:
• Prevent early storage failures
• Reduce maintenance costs
• Meet regulatory requirements
For utility companies, this isn’t just a technical detail—it directly affects whether your meter readings are accurate and reliable, which impacts everything from billing to planning. Investing in optimized embedded file systems for smart meters today will save you from costly replacements down the road.