The LC9 series combines 3D QLC architecture, CBA technology, and an E3.L form factor to deliver speed, scalability, and efficiency for hyperscale data centers.
Kioxia has announced the launch of the largest SSD in the world, with a capacity of 245.76 TB, aimed at generative artificial intelligence environments and massive workloads in data centers. This technological milestone is realized in the new LC9 series, which integrates stacked BiCS FLASH™ QLC 3D memory arranged in 32 layers of 2 Terabit (Tb) chips, utilizing its innovative CBA (CMOS Bonded to Array) technology to maximize density in a compact space.
To put it into perspective: with this unit, one could store 12,500 4K movies (assuming an average of 20 GB per film). All in a single 2.5-inch E3.L form factor SSD that fits in your palm.
A solution designed for data centers and generative AI
According to Paul Rowan, Vice President of Kioxia Europe:
“The LC9 series addresses storage challenges in the AI era by combining unprecedented capacity, energy efficiency, and reliability. With this technology, customers can replace multiple HDDs with a single SSD, reducing power consumption, cooling needs, and total cost of ownership (TCO).”
Unlike traditional hard drives (HDDs), which often become bottlenecks and underutilize GPU processing power, Kioxia’s new SSDs enable storing enormous volumes of data with much higher performance and lower latency, facilitating training of large language models (LLMs), massive analytics, or data lakes.
Key specifications of the LC9 series:
- Capacity: up to 245.76 TB in E3.L; up to 122.88 TB in 2.5″ U.2 and E3.S.
- Interface: PCIe 5.0 x4 / dual x2 compatible with NVMe 2.0 and NVMe-MI 1.2c.
- Speeds: up to 12 GB/s sequential read and 3 GB/s write.
- IOPS: up to 1.3 million in random read.
- Endurance: 0.3 full drive writes per day (DWPD).
- Reliability: chip-level recovery, error management via parity, and power loss tolerance.
- Security: AES-256 encryption, firmware signing with LMS algorithm compliant with CNSA 2.0 (ready for post-quantum security).
- Efficiency: supports Flexible Data Placement (FDP), reducing write amplification and extending lifespan in databases like RocksDB.
A commitment to efficiency and sustainability
Beyond its massive capacity, the LC9 significantly reduces energy consumption and the number of units needed, offering both economic and environmental benefits in large data centers. This efficiency makes it an ideal solution for organizations managing multi-cloud environments, generative AI platforms, and real-time data processing.
Availability and future outlook
The new LC9 SSDs are already being shipped for testing to select partners and will be officially introduced during the Future of Memory and Storage 2025 conference, scheduled from August 5 to 7 in Santa Clara, California. While pricing details remain undisclosed, it is anticipated to initially target the hyperscale and high-performance data center markets.
With this launch, Kioxia solidifies its leadership in high-performance storage and demonstrates its capacity to innovate in a key industry shaping the future of AI, cloud computing, and digital transformation.
via: kioxia