Kioxia Launches Next-Generation E1.S SSDs for AI and Hyperscale Data Centers
TOKYO: Kioxia Corporation has introduced the KIOXIA NX1 Series of enterprise solid-state drives (SSDs), a new generation of E1.S PCIe 5.0 NVMe storage solutions designed to meet the growing performance and efficiency requirements of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and hyperscale data centers. The new series is also the company’s first SSD lineup to support direct liquid cooling, offering enhanced thermal management for modern high-density server environments.
The KIOXIA NX1 Series succeeds the company’s previous XD Series SSDs and is engineered to address the increasing storage demands created by AI training, machine learning, cloud computing, and large-scale data processing. Built on Kioxia’s next-generation in-house controller architecture, the new drives deliver significant performance improvements while providing a platform for future storage innovations.
As organizations continue deploying GPU-powered servers to support generative AI and high-performance computing workloads, storage devices are expected to process larger datasets at greater speeds while maintaining energy efficiency. The NX1 Series has been developed specifically to meet these evolving requirements, combining faster performance with advanced cooling capabilities and higher storage density.
The SSDs leverage the PCIe 5.0 interface and NVMe 2.0 protocol to deliver faster data transfer speeds compared with previous-generation products. According to Kioxia, the NX1 Series provides up to 38 percent higher sequential write performance and approximately 20 percent better random write performance than the earlier KIOXIA XD8 Series SSDs. These improvements enable faster handling of large AI datasets, quicker data ingestion, and more responsive cloud applications.
Modern AI systems rely heavily on GPUs that process enormous amounts of data simultaneously. While computing performance has advanced rapidly, storage infrastructure must also evolve to eliminate bottlenecks and ensure continuous data availability. High-speed SSDs play a crucial role in feeding AI accelerators with data, reducing latency, and improving overall system efficiency.
The KIOXIA NX1 Series has been optimized for deployment in GPU-enabled servers, enterprise cloud platforms, and hyperscale data centers where consistent performance and reliability are essential. By delivering higher throughput and improved write speeds, the drives help organizations maximize the capabilities of AI hardware while supporting demanding enterprise workloads.
One of the standout features of the new SSD lineup is support for direct liquid cooling, making it Kioxia’s first storage product to incorporate this advanced cooling technology. As data centers become increasingly dense with high-performance processors and AI accelerators, traditional air cooling alone is often insufficient to maintain optimal operating temperatures.
Direct liquid cooling removes heat more efficiently than conventional air-cooling systems by transferring thermal energy through specially designed cold plates attached directly to hardware components. By supporting cold-plate-compatible configurations, the NX1 Series allows data center operators to improve thermal management while reducing energy consumption associated with cooling infrastructure.
The drives are available in E1.S 9.5 mm and E1.S 15 mm form factors. The 9.5 mm model supports both direct liquid cooling and traditional air cooling, providing flexibility for organizations adopting next-generation cooling technologies. The 15 mm version supports air-cooled deployments, enabling compatibility with existing server designs.
The compact E1.S form factor has become increasingly popular in AI servers because it enables higher storage density within limited rack space. As hyperscale operators seek to maximize computing capacity while minimizing physical footprint, E1.S SSDs offer an efficient balance between performance, cooling, and scalability.
The new drives are designed primarily for read-intensive applications, offering an endurance rating of one Drive Write Per Day (1 DWPD). Capacity options range from 1.92 terabytes (TB) to 15.36 TB, allowing organizations to select storage configurations based on workload requirements, infrastructure design, and capacity planning.
Kioxia has also incorporated support for several major industry standards to ensure broad compatibility across enterprise environments. The NX1 Series complies with PCIe 5.0, NVMe 2.0, and the Open Compute Project (OCP) Datacenter NVMe SSD 2.6 specifications. Compliance with these standards enables seamless integration into modern cloud and hyperscale infrastructures while supporting interoperability with a wide range of hardware platforms.
Another notable capability is support for NVMe Flexible Data Placement (FDP). This feature improves storage efficiency by allowing data to be organized more intelligently across flash memory, helping reduce unnecessary write operations and extending SSD lifespan. Better data placement also contributes to more consistent performance under demanding workloads, particularly in AI and cloud applications that generate continuous streams of data.
The KIOXIA NX1 Series is built using the company’s eighth-generation BiCS FLASH 3D TLC memory. The flash memory incorporates CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) architecture, an advanced manufacturing approach that enhances storage performance, improves power efficiency, and increases storage density.
BiCS FLASH has become one of Kioxia’s flagship memory technologies, enabling high-capacity storage solutions while maintaining reliability and endurance for enterprise applications. The eighth-generation architecture further advances these capabilities, supporting the growing storage needs of next-generation computing platforms.
Recognizing the importance of data protection in enterprise environments, Kioxia also offers an optional Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) model compliant with the TCG Opal security standard. Hardware-based encryption helps organizations safeguard sensitive information by automatically encrypting stored data without significantly affecting system performance.
The availability of self-encrypting models may vary depending on regional regulations, but the feature provides an additional layer of protection for organizations operating in industries with strict security and compliance requirements.
The company noted that the KIOXIA NX1 Series is currently being sampled with select hyperscale customers ahead of broader commercial availability. Early customer evaluations are expected to validate the drives’ performance in AI, cloud, and enterprise data center environments where large-scale deployments demand both reliability and efficiency.
Kioxia also announced that the new SSD lineup will be showcased at FMS: The Future of Memory and Storage, scheduled to take place from August 4 to August 6 in Santa Clara, California. The event provides an opportunity for technology companies, enterprise customers, and industry experts to explore the latest innovations in memory and storage technologies.
The launch reflects the broader transformation occurring across the data center industry as organizations invest heavily in AI infrastructure. Training and deploying large language models, recommendation systems, autonomous technologies, and advanced analytics require storage platforms capable of supporting extremely high data throughput while minimizing latency.
Beyond performance, energy efficiency has become a major consideration for cloud providers and hyperscale operators. Cooling systems account for a significant portion of data center energy consumption, prompting increased adoption of liquid cooling technologies that improve thermal efficiency while reducing operational costs. By integrating direct liquid cooling support into its enterprise SSD portfolio, Kioxia is positioning its products to align with the next generation of AI server architectures.
The introduction of the NX1 Series also demonstrates Kioxia’s continued investment in vertically integrated storage technology. The company’s in-house development of both flash memory and controller architecture enables tighter optimization between hardware and firmware, resulting in improved performance, reliability, and power efficiency.
Kioxia is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading developers of flash memory and solid-state storage solutions. The company traces its heritage to Toshiba, which invented NAND flash memory in 1987. Following the spin-off of Toshiba Memory in 2017, the business adopted the Kioxia brand and has continued expanding its portfolio of enterprise and consumer storage technologies.
Today, Kioxia develops and manufactures flash memory products for a broad range of applications, including smartphones, personal computers, automotive systems, enterprise storage, cloud infrastructure, and AI platforms. Its proprietary BiCS FLASH technology has played a key role in advancing high-density 3D flash memory, supporting the increasing storage requirements of modern digital applications.
As demand for AI computing continues to accelerate, storage technologies are becoming an increasingly critical component of data center infrastructure. High-performance SSDs capable of delivering faster throughput, efficient thermal management, enhanced security, and greater storage density will play a central role in supporting next-generation AI workloads.
With the launch of the KIOXIA NX1 Series, Kioxia aims to provide cloud service providers, enterprise customers, and hyperscale operators with a storage platform designed to meet the performance, scalability, and efficiency requirements of tomorrow’s AI-driven computing environments while laying the foundation for future innovations in enterprise storage technology.
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