Kioxia Corporation has announced an impressive advancement in the field of data storage technology, introducing the groundbreaking KIOXIA LC9 Series 122.88 terabyte NVMe SSD. Built using Kioxia’s pioneering BiCS FLASH™ generation 8, a 3D flash memory featuring a cutting-edge 2-terabit QLC die, this SSD represents a significant step forward in storage density, performance, and energy efficiency. Designed specifically to meet the demanding requirements of contemporary artificial intelligence applications, including generative AI, this SSD addresses the escalating challenge of handling increasingly large datasets. As artificial intelligence and large language models grow ever more sophisticated, high-capacity, efficient, and rapidly accessible storage has become essential to managing the complexities associated with AI training, vector databases, inference, and model fine-tuning.
Kioxia’s LC9 SSD series, currently under active development, will soon appear at industry conferences, providing technology experts and potential customers a firsthand look at its capabilities. A distinguishing feature of this SSD is its robust PCIe 5.0 interface, supporting dual-port connectivity, thereby enhancing fault tolerance and enabling simultaneous connections to multiple compute systems. Such features make the LC9 series ideal for enterprises deploying hybrid and multi-cloud architectures, where rapid data delivery and storage reliability are mission-critical for maintaining uninterrupted operations.
Additionally, Kioxia’s recent innovation, AiSAQ™ technology, complements the LC9 SSD’s capabilities by enabling high-performance storage of vector database elements directly on SSDs, significantly reducing reliance on expensive and limited DRAM resources. This integration not only improves retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) performance in AI-driven environments but also enhances system-wide efficiency. By achieving higher storage density and reducing power consumption per terabyte, Kioxia effectively addresses the critical sustainability and cost-effectiveness concerns prevalent in large-scale AI data centers.
Technically, the KIOXIA LC9 Series SSD boasts compliance with the latest NVMe 2.0, NVMe-MI™, and PCIe 5.0 specifications, achieving impressive data throughput at speeds of up to 128 gigatransfers per second. The dual-port 2.5-inch form factor ensures compatibility with existing server configurations, providing an industry-leading capacity of 122.88 terabytes and an endurance rating of 0.3 drive writes per day (DWPD), suitable for intensive data storage and read-heavy AI workloads. Integral to the design is Kioxia’s proprietary CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) technology, facilitating exceptionally high storage densities without sacrificing performance or power efficiency.
As Kioxia continues to push the boundaries of flash memory innovation, the LC9 series SSD exemplifies the company’s commitment to addressing the rapidly evolving needs of AI and cloud computing. By delivering unprecedented storage capacity and robust performance, this SSD will play a pivotal role in enabling next-generation AI systems to operate more efficiently, economically, and reliably, setting new standards for data infrastructure across industries.
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