Kioxia and Dell Tackle AI Storage Bottlenecks with 245 TB SSDs

Kioxia has announced a new step forward in AI infrastructure scalability, introducing the LC9 Series 245.76 TB NVMe SSDs in collaboration with Dell Technologies. Designed for AI-scale workloads, the drives combine extreme density with improved power efficiency, helping data centres handle multi-petabyte datasets without expanding their footprint.

Why Storage Density Matters for AI

Generative AI and machine learning models thrive on massive datasets, but without sufficient storage density, GPUs sit idle waiting for data. Kioxia’s LC9 Series SSDs deliver PCIe 5.0 performance and up to 245 TB per drive, allowing Dell PowerEdge systems to feed GPUs more efficiently while reducing the number of physical drives required.

For data centres under pressure to support LLM training or inference pipelines such as retrieval augmented generation (RAG), higher capacity per device translates directly into lower cooling demand, reduced rack space, and improved energy efficiency.

Under the Hood: BiCS FLASH Gen 8

The LC9 Series is built on BiCS FLASH 8th generation 3D NAND, featuring 32-die QLC stacking with CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) technology. This allows large-capacity drives to be produced in compact form factors without sacrificing performance, making them well-suited for scaling GPU-rich AI clusters.

According to Masashi Yokotsuka, Vice President of Kioxia’s SSD Division: “With our KIOXIA LC9 Series SSDs, together with Dell Technologies, we’re removing storage bottlenecks, driving higher rack-density and enabling more sustainable, scalable systems that make the most of every GPU and each watt of power.”

Longstanding Collaboration with Dell

Kioxia and Dell have worked together for more than 20 years, delivering enterprise storage milestones including the first deployments of PCIe 5.0 EDSFF E3.S, 24G SAS, and Value SAS. The LC9 announcement builds on that history, positioning both companies to address the growing challenge of storage infrastructure in the AI era.

By combining extreme-capacity SSDs with Dell’s server platforms, the partnership aims to give enterprises a more sustainable way to expand their AI capabilities while containing data centre costs.

Learn more and read the original article on www.kioxia.com