Kioxia Unveils PCIe 6.0 SSDs Targeting 10 Million IOPS for AI Workloads

Kioxia GP1 PCIe 6.0 XL-Flash SSD Targets 100 Million Random-Read IOPS

Kioxia has announced the GP1, an enterprise PCIe 6.0 SSD designed to act as a high-speed capacity extension for GPU memory. The drive uses second-generation XL-Flash, Kioxia's low-latency storage-class memory. It supports 512-byte access granularity rather than relying exclusively on the larger blocks associated with ordinary NAND SSD workloads. Kioxia says the initial architecture is designed around approximately ten million random-read IOPS. Future generations are intended to scale toward 100 million IOPS, meaning the higher number should not be presented as the measured performance of the first shipping GP1. PCIe 6.0 and NVMe 2.2 are supported. Form factors include EDSFF E1.S and E3.S, with selected versions capable of direct cold-plate cooling. Endurance reaches as much as 50 drive writes per day, placing GP1 far above ordinary read-intensive SSDs. The intended application is GPU-accessible storage for AI models, datasets and cache contents that cannot fit economically in HBM. Flash remains slower than HBM or system DRAM, but a carefully designed software stack can place colder data on GP1 while reserving expensive memory for actively processed information. Samples are scheduled for the end of 2026. Capacities, latency figures, sustained throughput, power consumption and pricing remain undisclosed. GP1 is one of the clearest attempts to turn flash into a GPU memory tier rather than conventional block storage. The distinction between the initial ten-million-IOPS design and the longer-term 100-million target will be important in coverage. Kioxia GP1Specification FlashSecond-generation XL-Flash SCM InterfacePCIe 6.0, NVMe 2.2 Initial architectureApproximately 10 million random-read IOPS Future scaling targetUp to 100 million IOPS Access granularity512 bytes Maximum endurance50 DWPD SamplingEnd of 2026

KIOXIA showcases next-gen PCIe 6.0 NVMe SSDs at Future of Memory and Storage

FMS 2026, aka the Future of Memory and Storage, is taking place this week from August 4 through to 6 in Santa Clara, California. As the inventor of flash memory and a leader in storage technology, KIOXIA will be on hand to showcase the next generation of PCIe 6.0 NVMe SSD storage built for cutting-edge AI infrastructure. KIOXIA will also be conducting a keynote presentation, panel discussions, and various technical sessions and demonstrations focused on performance, scalability, and efficiency. According to the company, these three pillars define modern AI workloads, from enterprise through to cloud and high-performance computing. And by leveraging the right storage solution, companies and organizations can remove performance bottlenecks, improve efficiency, and scale more effectively. One of the new products that will be highlighted at the show is the company's new KIOXIA GP1 Series PCIe 6.0 NVMe SSDs, which deliver an impressive 10 million random read IOPS and are optimized for GPU direct access. The company will also be showcasing its new KIOXIA CM10 Series PCIe 6.0 enterprise SSDs and KIOXIA NX1 Series SSDs, which support direct liquid cooling. The KIOXIA CM10 Series is also built for modern AI workloads, with 92% higher sequential read and around 85% higher random read performance compared to the previous-generation CM9, and they're the first SSDs to use the latest BiCS FLASH generation 10 TLC flash memory technology with 332 stacked layers. "AI is rapidly evolving across every industry, and memory is at the center of that transformation," said Scott Nelson, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for KIOXIA America, Inc. "At KIOXIA, we're enabling the next generation of AI with flash memory and storage technologies that deliver the performance, density, and efficiency organizations need. From the data center to the edge, our innovations are a game changer, helping power the AI applications transforming how businesses operate and compete." Outside of new hardware, the company's keynote presentation, titled "Redefining Data Center Storage for the AI Era with Flash Memory and SSDs," will kick off on Tuesday, August 4 at 11:10 am, focusing on AI's transformation from model training to inference and how that has dramatically impacted requirements for both memory and storage. KIOXIA will also host a special session with NVIDIA, titled "Balancing Memory and Storage to Operate AI Factories and Agents at Scale," that will take on a panel/Q&A format featuring NVIDIA and other industry leaders. KIOXIA will also be there on the show floor with a massive two-level booth (#307), broken down into the following exhibitions.

Kioxia NX1 PCIe 5.0 SSD Adds Direct Liquid Cooling

Kioxia has announced the NX1, an E1.S PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD family designed for hyperscale and GPU-equipped AI servers. It is Kioxia's first SSD line officially designed to work with cold-plate direct liquid cooling. The NX1 succeeds the XD8 and introduces a new Kioxia controller alongside eighth-generation BiCS Flash TLC NAND. The NAND uses the company's CMOS directly Bonded to Array architecture, in which the CMOS circuitry and memory array are manufactured separately and bonded together.Kioxia claims sequential-write performance is up to 38% higher than the previous XD8, with random writes improving by as much as 20%. Absolute throughput and IOPS values have not yet been published, preventing direct comparison with competing PCIe 5.0 data-center drives.. The 9.5mm E1.S version can operate under conventional airflow or connect to a cold plate. The thicker 15mm variant is air-cooled. Capacities for the one-drive-write-per-day models range from 1.92TB to 15.36TB. NX1 also supports the OCP Datacenter NVMe SSD Specification 2.6 and Flexible Data Placement. FDP lets software organize data in ways that reduce internal write amplification and garbage collection, potentially improving endurance and consistency. Optional self-encrypting models provide partial TCG Opal compliance. Direct liquid cooling is becoming relevant because GPUs, CPUs and networking components increasingly consume most of a server's available airflow and thermal capacity. Extending the liquid loop to storage can support denser systems while reducing dependence on high-speed fans. Samples are already shipping to selected hyperscale customers. Kioxia plans to demonstrate the series at the Future of Memory and Storage conference on August 4-6. NX1 connects three important market trends -- PCIe 5.0 storage, next-generation NAND and liquid-cooled AI servers. Technologies developed here may eventually influence workstation and high-performance consumer SSDs.

KIOXIA's new GP1 Series PCIe 6.0 SSDs unlock 10 million random read IOPS

IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) is an important metric for determining the performance you can expect from storage, with random read IOPS referring to how a storage device handles non-sequential read operations. This is increasingly important for modern AI workloads that deal with large datasets and indexes, which rely heavily on non-sequential read operations. And with that, the new KIOXIA GP1 Series PCIe 6.0 NVMe SSDs are classified as 'Super High IOPS SSDs' because they can deliver up to 10 million random read IOPS with KIOXIA XL-FLASH generation 2 flash memory. This is an impressive number because KIOXIA is leveraging flash-based memory extension specifically to enhance and address the demand for AI performance in today's cutting-edge data center environments. The company notes that KIOXIA GP1 Series SSDs are built to be paired with High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) systems as a fast and effective storage solution optimized for GPU direct access. KIOXIA XL-FLASH generation 2 flash memory is all about low-latency, high-performance, and also benefits from better efficiency than traditional TLC-based SSDs. And it's a custom architecture designed to scale, with KIOXIA noting that future generations are targeting 100 million IOPS. For large-scale AI deployments, it's a solution that significantly lowers costs by removing the need to keep adding expensive HBM. "The AI memory wall is a critical challenge for our industry to solve on the way to growing the scale and capability of AI deployment," said Neville Ichhaporia, senior vice president and general manager of the SSD business unit at KIOXIA America, Inc. "KIOXIA's XL-FLASH is uniquely positioned to deliver the extremely high performance and low-latency data access needed to support GPUs as a memory extension tier. It also offers a significantly lower cost per gigabyte than expanding in-node HBM or DRAM capacity. The KIOXIA GP1 SSD is a breakthrough product that will enable a new, leading-edge AI memory topology and demonstrates KIOXIA's continuous commitment to advancing AI." KIOXIA GP1 Series SSDs will be available in E3.S and E1.S 9.5 mm/15 mm form factors, with support for cold-plate liquid cooling and an impressive 50 DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day) endurance rating. KIOXIA GP1 Series evaluation samples are expected to become available to select customers by the end of 2026.

KIOXIA introduces the first PCIe 6.0 CM10 enterprise SSDs, up to 92% faster than PCIe 5.0

Today, KIOXIA has announced its new CM10 Series SSDs, which represent its first PCIe 6.0 enterprise SSDs built for demanding AI workloads like inference and Key Value (KV) cache. The KIOXIA CM10 Series also sports the company's latest BiCS FLASH generation 10 TLC flash memory technology that achieves the highest bit density and smallest chip size for 1Tb products, delivering 332 stacked layers with power-efficient performance. And with direct-cold-plate liquid cooling, the KIOXIA CM10 Series is built for the next generation of AI infrastructure and systems. The PCIe 6.0 SSDs also support NVIDIA CMX context memory storage, expanding GPU memory on NVIDIA Rubin for AI inference. Compared to the previous-generation CM9 Series, which leverages PCIe 5.0 NVMe technology, the KIOXIA CM10 Series reportedly delivers 92% higher sequential read performance and approximately 85% higher random read performance. These are impressive stats, as the KIOXIA CM9 Series of SSDs is still considered cutting-edge as far as enterprise storage goes. That said, with the complexity of AI systems growing, with millions of tokens, the demand for high-performance KV (Key Value) cache storage is rising. And this is where the KIOXIA CM10 Series fits in, leveraging the company's latest BiCS FLASH technology and PCIe 6.0 to deliver a solution for large-scale AI. KIOXIA confirms that CM10 Series SSDs will be available in E3.S, E1.S, and 2.5-inch form factors, with the E3.S and E1.S 9.5mm variants supporting cold-plate liquid cooling in addition to traditional air cooling. Capacities range from 1.60 TB up to 61.44 TB, with read-intensive (1 DWPD) and mixed-use (3 DWPD) options. As PCIe 6.0 SSDs, they're NVMe 2.1 and Open Compute Project (OCP) Datacenter NVMe SSD Specification 2.7 compliant, in addition to shipping with a wide range of security features. "As AI infrastructure evolves, storage must deliver not only higher performance but also greater efficiency and deployment flexibility," said Neville Ichhaporia, senior vice president and general manager of the SSD business unit at KIOXIA America, Inc. "The KIOXIA CM10 Series reflects our continued commitment to advancing flash storage that helps customers build more capable, scalable, and efficient AI infrastructure." KIOXIA notes that it's currently sampling CM10 Series SSDs to select customers, and that they'll also be on hand at the FMS: the Future of Memory and Storage event, taking place August 4 through to 6 in Santa Clara, California.

KIOXIA's next-gen NX1 Series SSDs for AI deliver close to 40% more performance with support for direct liquid cooling

KIOXIA has announced its next-generation E1.S form-factor SSDs for AI and hyperscale environments with the new NX1 Series. Built for data center environments and cutting-edge workloads, the NX1 Series represents a new era for E1.S PCIe 5.0 NVMe data center SSDs as they're the first to support direct liquid cooling. The new KIOXIA NX1 Series is the successor to the popular XD Series, leveraging the latest PCIe 5.0 performance while also maintaining a focus on operational efficiency. Compared to the XD Series, KIOXIA NX1 Series SSDs deliver up to 38% higher sequential write speeds with up to 20% higher random write performance. In addition to direct liquid cooling via a cold plate, the E1.S 9.5 mm form factor also supports traditional air cooling, with the E1.S 15mm form factor supporting air cooling. With capacities ranging from 1.92TB to 15.36TB, and an architecture that leverages KIOXIA's 8th generation BiCS FLASH memory with CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) technology, the KIOXIA NX1 Series is tailor-made for modern AI infrastructure and servers where increasingly dense, high-speed and reliable storage is a necessity. Compliant with NVMe 2.0, Open Compute Project (OCP) Datacenter NVMe SSD 2.6, and NVMe Flexible Data Placement (FDP) specifications, and powered by a custom next-generation in-house controller, KIOXIA NX1 Series SSDs are built for modern AI data centers. With high-density capacities, impressive speed, and advanced thermal management, they are more than ready to accelerate high-performance AI environments. "E1.S form factor SSDs are becoming increasingly important for AI and hyperscale system designs, keeping high-speed flash storage close to the CPU and GPU," said Neville Ichhaporia, senior vice president and general manager of the SSD business unit at KIOXIA America, Inc. "With the KIOXIA NX1 Series, we're delivering the performance, thermal flexibility and storage density customers need to support the next generation of GPU-enabled infrastructure." KIOXIA NX1 Series SSDs are currently sampling to select hyperscale customers, and they'll also be on hand at the upcoming FMS: the Future of Memory and Storage event, taking place August 4 through to 6 in Santa Clara, California.