Kioxia has introduced the LD4 series of SSDs, specifically designed for data centers. These drives utilize BiCS8 3D QLC NAND flash memory, which stores four bits per cell to improve storage density and reduce costs per terabyte.
The hardware features an E1.L server form factor, measuring 318.75 x 38.4 x 9.5 mm. This design allows for higher capacity and efficient installation in 1U servers. The drives comply with NVMe 2.0e and Open Compute Project Datacenter NVMe SSD 2.6 specifications.
Although compatible with PCIe 5.0, the connection is limited to PCIe 4.0 x4, providing a theoretical bandwidth of approximately 7.88 GB/s. Kioxia has not yet disclosed specific performance metrics, such as IOPS, latency, power consumption, or endurance ratings.
Currently, test samples with capacities of 15.36 TB and 30.72 TB are available to select customers. While the architecture supports capacities up to 122.88 TB, the company has not provided a timeline for mass production or announced pricing details.
