Kioxia launches liquid-cooled SSDs for AI servers, with PCIe 6.0 CM10 delivering 92% faster reads
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Kioxia has unveiled two new enterprise SSD lines designed to tackle thermal challenges in AI infrastructure. The NX1 Series introduces direct liquid cooling to PCIe 5.0 drives, while the CM10 Series debuts PCIe 6.0 technology with performance gains up to 92%. Both leverage advanced BiCS Flash memory and support cold-plate cooling for GPU-equipped AI servers where traditional airflow is no longer sufficient.
Kioxia SSD Lines Address Cooling Needs in AI Infrastructure
Kioxia has introduced two enterprise storage solutions that address mounting thermal challenges in hyperscale data centers and GPU-equipped AI servers. The NX1 Series marks the company's first PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs officially designed for direct liquid cooling, while the CM10 Series debuts as Kioxia's first PCIe 6.0 enterprise SSDs. Both product lines reflect the storage industry's response to AI workloads that generate unprecedented heat loads, particularly in systems where GPUs, CPUs, and networking components consume most available airflow capacity
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.NX1 Series Brings Cold Plates to E1.S Form Factor
The NX1 Series succeeds Kioxia's XD8 line and introduces a new in-house controller alongside eighth-generation BiCS Flash TLC NAND using CMOS directly Bonded to Array architecture. Sequential write performance improves by up to 38% compared to the previous generation, with random write performance gaining up to 20%
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. The E1.S form factor comes in two variants: a 9.5mm version that supports both conventional airflow and cold-plate connection, and a thicker 15mm air-cooled option. Capacities range from 1.92TB to 15.36TB for one-drive-write-per-day models1
.The NX1 Series complies with the OCP Datacenter NVMe SSD Specification 2.6 and supports Flexible Data Placement, which allows software to organize data in ways that reduce internal write amplification and garbage collection. This capability potentially improves endurance and consistency in high-performance AI servers. Optional self-encrypting models provide partial TCG Opal compliance
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. Neville Ichhaporia, senior vice president at Kioxia America, noted that "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"3
.CM10 Series Leaps to PCIe 6.0 With Massive Performance Gains
The CM10 Series represents a more aggressive technology jump, leveraging PCIe 6.0 to deliver 92% higher sequential read performance and approximately 85% higher random read performance compared to the PCIe 5.0-based CM9 Series
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. These next-generation SSDs for AI incorporate BiCS Flash generation 10 TLC memory technology, achieving 332 stacked layers with the highest bit density and smallest chip size for 1Tb products. The CM10 Series supports NVIDIA CMX context memory storage, expanding GPU memory on NVIDIA Rubin GPUs for AI inference—a critical capability as AI systems handle millions of tokens and require high-performance Key Value cache storage2
.Available in E3.S, E1.S, and 2.5-inch form factors, the CM10 Series offers capacities from 1.60TB up to 61.44TB with read-intensive (1 DWPD) and mixed-use (3 DWPD) options. The E3.S and E1.S 9.5mm variants support cold-plate liquid cooling alongside traditional air cooling. The drives comply with NVMe 2.1 and OCP Datacenter NVMe SSD Specification 2.7, while including comprehensive security features
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Why Direct Liquid Cooling Matters for AI Infrastructure
Extending liquid cooling loops to storage addresses a fundamental shift in data center design. As GPUs and accelerators dominate thermal budgets in AI infrastructure, relying solely on high-speed fans becomes impractical. Direct liquid cooling through cold plates enables denser system configurations while reducing dependence on airflow, which matters for organizations building large-scale AI deployments where space and power efficiency directly impact operational costs
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.Both product lines are currently sampling to select hyperscale customers, with demonstrations planned at the Future of Memory and Storage conference on August 4-6 in Santa Clara, California
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. Technologies developed for these enterprise drives may eventually influence workstation and high-performance consumer SSDs as thermal management becomes critical across computing segments1
. Watch for broader adoption of liquid-cooled storage as AI systems scale and thermal density continues to climb.References
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