KIOXIA has unveiled its first SSD with support for direct liquid cooling: the NX1 series. The new NVMe SSDs utilize PCIe 5.0, come in the E1.S form factor, and are specifically designed for GPU servers and hyperscale data centers. The NX1 series thus succeeds the previous XD series.
The series was announced on July 29, 2026. Anyone interested in taking a closer look at the drives will have the opportunity to do so in early August: KIOXIA will showcase the NX1 series from August 4 to 6 at the FMS: The Future of Memory and Storage trade show in Santa Clara.
New Controller Architecture for AI Workloads
The NX1 series is built on a next-generation controller architecture developed entirely in-house. With this, KIOXIA aims not only to meet the current demands of AI and cloud environments but also to create room for future features.
“We developed the NX1 series to meet these new requirements. Support for direct liquid cooling, combined with a high-performance and energy-efficient storage solution, makes this possible,” explains Paul Rowan, Chief Marketing Officer & Vice President at KIOXIA Europe.
The storage technology used is 8th-generation BiCS FLASH with CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) architecture. Enterprise SSDs for data centers are a growing segment—most recently, Western Digital, for example, introduced new Ultrastar models for data centers.
Up to 38 Percent Higher Write Performance
Compared to the XD8 series, the KIOXIA NX1 series shows a noticeable improvement: sequential write speeds increase by up to 38 percent, while random write performance increases by up to 20 percent. Key specifications at a glance:
| Feature | KIOXIA NX1 Series |
|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 5.0, NVMe 2.0 |
| Form Factor | E1.S 9.5 mm (DLC + air cooling), E1.S 15 mm (air cooling) |
| Capacities | 1.92 TB to 15.36 TB |
| Endurance | 1 DWPD (read-intensive applications) |
| Storage | 8th-generation BiCS FLASH, CBA architecture |
| Standards | OCP Datacenter NVMe SSD 2.6, NVMe FDP |
| Security | Optional self-encrypting drive (TCG Opal) |
The drives are also compliant with the Open Compute Project (OCP) specification and support NVMe Flexible Data Placement (FDP). An optional SED (Self-Encrypting Drive) model compliant with TCG Opal is available—though not in all countries, depending on local legal requirements.
Direct Liquid Cooling in the E1.S Form Factor
The real innovation is the cooling system. The NX1 series is KIOXIA’s first SSD to support direct liquid cooling. The 9.5-mm variant can be integrated directly into the liquid cooling system of a densely packed AI server environment via a cold plate, while the 15-mm version relies on traditional air cooling. Especially for GPU servers with many accelerators, the compact E1.S form factor helps balance storage density and thermal management.
Conclusion: Availability of the KIOXIA NX1 Series
The KIOXIA NX1 series is currently undergoing sampling with select hyperscale customers; a specific market launch date has not yet been announced. For data center operators, however, the combination of PCIe 5.0, higher write performance, and liquid cooling offers an intriguing prospect.
For more information, contact KIOXIA Europe directly.
