Intel® Memory and Storage Tool (Intel® MAS) GUI Cannot Secure Erase the Intel® Optane™ SSDs

An error message shows up, indicating an I/O error while trying to perform a secure erase using Intel Memory and Storage Tool GUI.

The Secure Erase command times out without providing enough time for the operation to be completed.

As a workaround, it is possible to attempt the secure erase process using the Intel Memory and Storage Tool CLI (Command Line Interface) with the following command, just replacing the X with the correct drive index:

intelmas start -intelssd X -nvmeformat SecureEraseSetting=1

This behavior is seen in the Intel® Optane™ SSDs because the Intel® Optane™ Media takes more time to  erase than NAND media.