KCMYDRUG15T3 Kioxia 15.36TB CM7-R NVMe PCIe Gen5 U3 SED 1Dwpd Enterprise Solid State Drive

Kioxia KCMYDRUG15T3 Enterprise NVMe Solid State Drive

The Kioxia KCMYDRUG15T3 CM7-R Series solid state drive is engineered to deliver next-generation storage performance for enterprise and data center environments. Built on advanced NVMe PCIe Gen5 architecture, this high-capacity 15.36TB SSD is designed to support mission-critical workloads, virtualization platforms, cloud infrastructures, and high-performance computing systems that demand exceptional speed, reliability, and endurance.

Manufacturer and Model Identification

• Manufacturer: Kioxia
• Part Number: KCMYDRUG15T3
• Drive Family: CM7-R Enterprise SSD Series

Storage Capacity and Drive Classification

• Total Capacity: 15.36TB
• Drive Type: Internal Solid State Drive
• Endurance Rating: 1 Drive Write Per Day (1 DWPD)

Advanced NVMe PCIe Gen5 Interface

• Interface Protocol: NVMe
• PCI Express Generation: Gen5
• Lane Configuration: Single Port (1x4)

Sequential Data Transfer Rates

• Sustained Sequential Read (128 KiB): Up to 14,000 MB/s
• Sustained Sequential Write (128 KiB): Up to 7,000 MB/s

Random IOPS Performance

• Sustained Random Read (4 KiB): Up to 2,400,000 IOPS
• Sustained Random Write (4 KiB): Up to 300,000 IOPS

Supported Supply Voltages

• 12V Supply: ±10%
• 3.3V Supply: ±15%

Power Consumption Characteristics

• Active Power Usage: 25W Typical
• Ready State Power Usage: 5W Typical

Mean Time to Failure and Endurance

• Mean Time to Failure (MTTF): 2,500,000 Hours
• Endurance Rating: 1 DWPD

Temperature Tolerance

• Operating Temperature Range: 0°C to 73°C
• Non-Operating Temperature Range: -40°C to 85°C

Humidity Resistance

• Operating Humidity: 5% to 95% Relative Humidity

Shock Resistance

• Operating Vibration: 21.27 m/s² (2.17 Grms) at 5 to 800 Hz
• Operating Shock: 9.8 km/s² (1,000 G) for 0.5 ms

Kioxia KCMYDRUG15T3 15.36TB NVMe Solid State Drive

The Kioxia KCMYDRUG15T3 15.36TB CM7-R NVMe PCIe Gen5 U.3 Self-Encrypting Enterprise Solid State Drive represents a high-capacity, performance-centric segment within the enterprise storage category. This class of solid state drives is engineered to support mission-critical workloads that demand extreme throughput, predictable latency, and uncompromising data integrity. Enterprise NVMe SSDs are designed for data centers, hyperscale environments, cloud service providers, and high-performance computing infrastructures where storage performance directly influences application responsiveness, service-level agreements, and operational efficiency.

This category focuses on PCI Express Gen5 connectivity, leveraging the NVMe protocol to eliminate legacy bottlenecks associated with traditional SAS and SATA interfaces. The use of a U.3 form factor allows backward compatibility across U.2 and U.3 backplanes, providing deployment flexibility within modern server architectures. The 15.36TB capacity tier positions this drive as a dense storage solution suitable for data-intensive applications, enabling consolidation of storage resources while maintaining enterprise-grade endurance and reliability.

Evolution of PCIe Gen5 NVMe Enterprise Storage

PCIe Gen5 NVMe enterprise storage represents a significant evolution in data center storage technology. By doubling the bandwidth of PCIe Gen4, Gen5 interfaces unlock unprecedented levels of sequential and random performance. Enterprise SSDs in this category are designed to sustain these speeds under continuous workloads, ensuring consistent quality of service even during peak utilization. The Kioxia CM7-R series aligns with this evolution by incorporating advanced controller architectures, optimized firmware, and high-speed NAND interfaces.

The adoption of PCIe Gen5 is particularly impactful for applications such as real-time analytics, artificial intelligence model training, large-scale virtualization, and transactional databases. These workloads benefit from reduced I/O latency and higher queue depths, enabling faster data access and improved overall system efficiency. Within this category, the focus is not only on raw performance but also on maintaining stability and endurance over extended operational lifecycles.

Kioxia CM7-R Series Positioning in Enterprise Storage

The CM7-R series from Kioxia is positioned as a read-intensive enterprise NVMe SSD family optimized for high-capacity deployments. The KCMYDRUG15T3 model exemplifies this positioning by offering a balanced combination of capacity, endurance, and performance. With a drive writes per day rating of 1, this SSD is tailored for workloads where read operations dominate but where consistent write performance and endurance remain essential.

This category emphasizes reliability and predictability, ensuring that storage devices can operate continuously in demanding environments. The CM7-R series benefits from Kioxia’s extensive experience in NAND flash manufacturing and controller design, resulting in products that meet stringent enterprise qualification standards. These drives are engineered to integrate seamlessly into modern data center ecosystems, supporting standardized management, monitoring, and security frameworks.

High-Density Capacity Advantages

The 15.36TB capacity offered by the Kioxia KCMYDRUG15T3 enables high-density storage configurations that reduce the physical footprint required for large datasets. This capacity tier is particularly advantageous for data centers seeking to optimize rack space, power consumption, and cooling efficiency. By consolidating storage into fewer drives, organizations can simplify infrastructure management while achieving higher aggregate performance.

High-capacity enterprise SSDs also support scalable architectures, allowing businesses to grow storage pools without frequent hardware changes. This scalability is critical for cloud platforms, virtualization clusters, and big data environments where storage demands increase rapidly. The category prioritizes consistent performance across the entire capacity range, ensuring that large drives do not suffer from performance degradation as utilization grows.

NVMe Protocol Optimization and Performance Characteristics

The NVMe protocol is central to the performance benefits of this enterprise SSD category. Designed specifically for non-volatile memory, NVMe minimizes command overhead and maximizes parallelism. The Kioxia CM7-R NVMe SSD leverages multiple submission and completion queues, enabling efficient handling of high I/O workloads across multi-core processors.

Within this category, performance optimization extends beyond interface speed. Advanced firmware algorithms manage wear leveling, garbage collection, and error correction in real time, ensuring sustained performance over the drive’s lifespan. The result is a storage solution capable of delivering low latency and high throughput consistently, even under mixed workload conditions.

Latency Sensitivity and Predictable Response Times

Latency predictability is a defining characteristic of enterprise NVMe SSDs. The KCMYDRUG15T3 is engineered to maintain stable response times, reducing latency spikes that can disrupt application performance. This is particularly important for transactional databases, financial systems, and real-time analytics platforms where even minor delays can have significant operational impacts.

The category emphasizes quality of service metrics, ensuring that performance remains consistent regardless of workload intensity. This predictability is achieved through a combination of high-speed NAND, efficient controller design, and intelligent firmware that prioritizes critical operations.

U.3 Form Factor and Deployment Flexibility

The U.3 form factor is a key attribute of this enterprise SSD category, providing compatibility with multiple interface standards. U.3 drives can operate in U.3, U.2, and certain legacy configurations, simplifying deployment and upgrade paths. The Kioxia KCMYDRUG15T3 benefits from this versatility, making it suitable for a wide range of server platforms.

This flexibility reduces the need for specialized backplanes or adapters, enabling organizations to standardize on a single drive type across different systems. The category supports hot-swap capabilities, allowing drives to be replaced or added without system downtime, which is essential for maintaining high availability in enterprise environments.

Thermal Management and Mechanical Design

Enterprise SSDs in the U.3 form factor are designed with thermal efficiency in mind. The CM7-R series incorporates optimized heat dissipation features that ensure stable operation under sustained workloads. Effective thermal management is critical for maintaining performance and prolonging drive lifespan, particularly in densely populated server racks.

The mechanical design of this category adheres to industry standards, ensuring compatibility with enterprise-grade enclosures and cooling systems. This design consistency simplifies integration and reduces the risk of deployment issues.

Self-Encrypting Drive Security and Data Protection

Security is a fundamental requirement in enterprise storage environments, and the Kioxia KCMYDRUG15T3 includes self-encrypting drive functionality to address this need. Hardware-based encryption ensures that data at rest is protected without impacting performance. This feature is essential for organizations handling sensitive information, including financial data, healthcare records, and proprietary business intelligence.

The category emphasizes compliance with industry security standards, enabling organizations to meet regulatory requirements while maintaining operational efficiency. Self-encrypting drives simplify data protection strategies by integrating encryption directly into the storage hardware.

Endurance Profile and Read-Intensive Workload Optimization

The 1 drive write per day endurance rating of the Kioxia KCMYDRUG15T3 defines its role within the read-intensive enterprise SSD category. This endurance profile is optimized for workloads where read operations significantly outnumber writes, such as content delivery networks, data warehousing, and analytics platforms.

Despite its read-intensive classification, the drive is engineered to handle sustained write activity reliably. Advanced NAND management techniques ensure even wear distribution and long-term durability, allowing the drive to maintain performance and reliability throughout its service life.

Enterprise Reliability, Firmware, and Data Integrity

Reliability is a cornerstone of enterprise SSD design. The Kioxia CM7-R NVMe SSD incorporates advanced error correction, power-loss protection, and data integrity mechanisms to ensure consistent operation. These features protect against data corruption and unexpected failures, which are critical concerns in enterprise environments.

Firmware plays a crucial role in maintaining reliability and performance. The category emphasizes rigorous validation and testing processes to ensure that firmware updates enhance functionality without introducing instability. Kioxia’s enterprise firmware is designed to support long-term deployment with minimal maintenance requirements.

Power Loss Protection and Consistent Performance

Power loss protection is essential for safeguarding in-flight data during unexpected outages. Enterprise NVMe SSDs in this category include capacitors or similar mechanisms that allow the drive to complete critical operations before shutting down. This ensures data consistency and reduces the risk of file system corruption.

Consistent performance under varying power and workload conditions is a defining characteristic of the CM7-R series, reinforcing its suitability for mission-critical applications.

Use Case Alignment Across Data Center Environments

The Kioxia KCMYDRUG15T3 aligns with a wide range of enterprise use cases, from cloud infrastructure and virtualization to big data analytics and content distribution. Its high capacity and PCIe Gen5 performance enable efficient handling of large datasets and high user concurrency.

This category supports scalable architectures that can adapt to changing workload demands. By integrating high-capacity NVMe SSDs, organizations can enhance application performance, reduce latency, and improve overall system responsiveness.

Integration with Modern Server and Storage Platforms

Enterprise NVMe SSDs are designed to integrate seamlessly with modern server platforms, supporting industry-standard management and monitoring tools. The CM7-R series is compatible with a wide range of operating systems, hypervisors, and storage frameworks, simplifying deployment and ongoing management.

This compatibility ensures that organizations can leverage the full potential of PCIe Gen5 NVMe storage without extensive customization or infrastructure changes.