Kioxia launches an SSD with a storage capacity of 245.76 TB. The LC9 series targets applications in generative AI and data centers.
Kioxia expands its LC9 series with an enterprise SSD of 245.76 terabytes, available in the 2.5-inch format and in the E3.L format according to the Enterprise and Datacenter Standard Form Factor specification. The new drive is designed to meet the demands of generative AI environments, where speed, capacity, and efficient energy use are crucial. It is currently the highest capacity storage device available.
AI workloads
The LC9 series utilizes a 32-die stack of 2 terabit BiCS FLASH QLC 3D flash memory. The chip technology combines this memory with CBA technology (CMOS directly connected to the memory cells), enabling 8 TB of storage in a 154 mm² BGA package.
The storage solution is aimed at data centers and hyperscalers working with large volumes of data, such as training language models or applications with vector databases and retrieval augmented generation. The SSD can replace multiple traditional HDDs in such applications, which according to Kioxia leads to lower energy consumption, more efficient cooling, and less used rack space.
Specifications
The LC9 series supports PCIe 5.0 (up to 128 GT/s), NVMe 2.0, and the NVMe-MI 1.2c protocol. The SSDs are also partially compatible with the OCP Datacenter NVMe SSD specification v2.5. Other features include Flexible Data Placement (FDP) to limit write amplification and support for various security options such as SIE, SED, and FIPS SED. The drives are also designed with the CNSA 2.0 algorithm, which provides for future standards around quantum security.
In addition to the new 245.76 TB variant, the LC9 series also offers SSDs of 122.88 TB in both the 2.5-inch format and the smaller E3.S format. The drives are currently available for testing with selected customers.