What if one drive could replace racks of storage, cut power use, and handle AI workloads? Can this be the future of data?
Kioxia Corporation has introduced the industry’s first 245.76 terabyte (TB) NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), expanding its LC9 Series lineup. The new drive comes in 2.5-inch and EDSFF E3.L form factors and is designed for high-capacity, high-performance workloads such as generative AI. Sampling has already begun, with broader availability to follow.
The LC9 Series is built for environments that handle massive datasets, including training large language models, generating embeddings, and supporting retrieval augmented generation (RAG). These applications require exceptional storage scale, speed, and efficiency. By reaching 245.76 TB per drive, the LC9 Series allows data centers to consolidate storage, reduce power consumption, and free up drive slots compared with traditional HDD deployments.
In addition to the 245.76 TB model, the lineup includes a 122.88 TB version in both 2.5-inch and E3.S form factors. All models support PCIe 5.0, NVMe 2.0, and NVMe-MI 1.2c standards, along with OCP Datacenter NVMe SSD specification v2.5.
The LC9 Series is based on a 32-die stack of 2 terabit (Tb) BiCS FLASH QLC 3D flash memory, combined with CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) technology. This architecture achieves 8 TB per 154 BGA package—an industry milestone—made possible by Kioxia’s precision wafer processing, material design, and wire bonding expertise.
Key features include:
- Up to 245.76 TB capacity (2.5-inch and E3.L)
- Up to 122.88 TB (E3.S)
- PCIe 5.0 interface (128 GT/s, Gen5 single x4, dual x2)
- Flexible Data Placement (FDP) to reduce write amplification
- Security options: SIE, SED, FIPS SED
- CNSA 2.0 security with LMS algorithm, supporting post-quantum cryptography
The drives are optimized for data lakes and other large-scale storage systems where HDDs often become bottlenecks. By replacing multiple hard drives with a single LC9 SSD, operators can achieve higher throughput, lower power draw, and improved cooling efficiency—helping to lower overall total cost of ownership.
