Kioxia Corporation has expanded its high-capacity KIOXIA LC9 Series enterprise SSD lineup by introducing the industry's first 245.76 terabyte (TB) NVMe SSD in 2.5-inch and EDSFF E3.L form factor. This new capacity and form factor option complements the previously announced 122.88 TB (2.5-inch) model and is purpose-built for the performance and efficiency demands of generative AI environments.

Generative AI places unique demands on storage, including the need to store vast datasets for training large language models (LLMs), and to create embeddings and vector databases that support inference through retrieval augmented generation (RAG). These workloads require storage solutions with exceptional capacity, speed, and efficiency.Featuring 32-die stack of 2 terabit (Tb)(3) BiCS FLASH QLC 3D flash memory with innovative CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) technology, KIOXIA LC9 Series SSDs deliver the speed, scale, and density required to support the next wave of data-centric workloads. This combination of advanced memory architecture and CBA technology enables an 8 TB per small 154 BGA package - also an industry first. This milestone was made possible with Kioxia's high-precision wafer processing, material design, and wire bonding technologies.

KIOXIA LC9 Series SSDs are well-suited for data lakes, where massive data ingestion and rapid processing are essential. Unlike HDDs, which often bottleneck performance and leave costly GPUs underutilized, KIOXIA LC9 Series SSDs enable dense storage in a compact footprint with greater capacity per watt. By delivering up to 245.76 TB, they can replace multiple power-hungry HDDs, offering superior performance, lower overall power consumption, fewer drive slots used, and more efficient cooling. These features help drive total cost of ownership (TCO) improvements across power, density, and thermal management.

KIOXIA LC9 Series SSDs Features Include:

• Up to 245.76 TB SSD in 2.5-inch and E3.L form factors
• Up to 122.88 TB available in E3.S form factor
• Designed to PCIe 5.0 (max. 128 GT/s Gen 5 single x4, dual x2)
• NVMe 2.0, NVMe-MI 1.2c specifications
• Open Compute Project (OCP) Datacenter NVMe SSD specification v2.5 support (not all requirements)
• Flexible Data Placement (FDP) support to minimize write amplification and extend SSD lifespan
• Security options: SIE, SED, FIPS SED
• CNSA 2.0 signing algorithm adopt, designed with future quantum security standards in mind

KIOXIA LC9 Series SSDs are now sampling to select customers and will be featured at the Future of Memory and Storage 2025 conference, taking place August 5-7 in Santa Clara.