Kioxia introduces a 245TB SSD, the globally most capacious storage device, capable of accommodating up to 12,500 high-definition 4K movies.
Kioxia Unveils the LC9 SSD: A Revolutionary High-Capacity NVMe SSD for Data-Intensive Applications
Kioxia, a world leader in memory solutions, has announced the development of the LC9 SSD, a high-capacity NVMe SSD designed specifically for data-intensive environments such as AI training and data lakes.
Key Features of the Kioxia LC9 SSD
- Proprietary Controller and Firmware: The LC9 uses a Kioxia custom controller and firmware optimized for hyperscale environments, enabling efficient operation in demanding data center workloads.
- Memory Devices: The SSD incorporates Kioxia’s BiCS FLASH™ Gen8 3D NAND technology, which is organized with QLC (quad-level cell) cells storing 4 bits per cell. It uses 2 terabit (Tb) NAND dies stacked in 32-die packages via innovative CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) technology. Each package yields 8 TB of capacity in a compact 154-ball BGA (Ball Grid Array) form.
- Capacity: The LC9 series includes configurations up to 245.76 TB in 2.5-inch and E3.L form factors, and up to 122.88 TB in 2.5-inch and E3.S form factors.
- Performance Characteristics: The LC9 delivers sequential read speeds of up to 12 GB/s and write speeds of up to 3 GB/s. For random operations, it achieves up to 1.3 million IOPS for reads and 50,000 IOPS for writes.
- Interface and Standards: It uses a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface with NVMe 2.0 compliance, supporting modern data center hardware, and aligns with the Open Compute Project Datacenter NVMe SSD specification v2.5. It also supports NVMe-MI 1.2c for manageability.
- Additional Features: The LC9 includes features to improve reliability and protect data, such as die-level recovery, parity-based error management, and safeguards against sudden power loss. It also includes support for Flexible Data Placement, dual-port connectivity for redundancy in critical systems, advanced power loss protection, and end-to-end data protection.
- Security: The LC9 features security measures such as Sanitize Instant Erase (SIE), Self-Encrypting Drive (SED), AES-256 encryption, and planned FIPS 140-3 compliance with support for the Leighton-Micali Signature algorithm for government and enterprise security standards.
- Form Factors & Density: The LC9 leverages the 2.5-inch and E3.L form factors to achieve extremely high density, allowing massive storage in compact spaces. For instance, the 245.76 TB model occupies a standard 2.5” form factor, far exceeding typical HDD capacities.
Availability and Partnerships
The LC9 series is currently being sampled to select partners. Kioxia plans to offer the L9 drives to large hyperscale data center companies, with pricing depending on volumes and other factors.
The Future of Memory and Storage
The Kioxia LC9 will be showcased at the Future of Memory and Storage conference in August 2025, further demonstrating Kioxia's commitment to driving innovation in the memory and storage industry. With its record-breaking capacity and competitive performance, the LC9 SSD is poised to revolutionize data-intensive applications in AI, data lakes, and other hyperscale environments.
The LC9 SSD, a high-capacity NVMe SSD by Kioxia, is a testament to the intersection of data-and-cloud-computing technology and cutting-edge memory solutions, designed for data-intensive applications such as AI training and data lakes. This revolutionary SSD incorporates technology like a proprietary controller and firmware, optimized for hyperscale environments, and Kioxia’s BiCS FLASH™ Gen8 3D NAND technology, ensuring efficient operation in data center workloads.
