Micron Unveils PCIe Gen6 SSDs to Power the Next Wave of AI Data Centers
Micron recently revealed an SSD lineup aimed squarely at AI infrastructures' biggest challenges: moving data fast enough to keep modern workloads running smoothly. As GPUs race through massive training and inference workloads, storage is often the weak link. Delays in data access waste compute power, increase energy use, and hold back performance.
Micron’s new SSD lineup delivers speed, scale, and efficiency tailored for the growing demands of AI data centers.
Micron's new lineup introduces three drives built for different corners of the data center. At the top is the 9650, the first SSD to use PCIe Gen6. It’s complemented by the massive-capacity 6600 ION and the power-efficient 7600, giving engineers a mix of speed, storage, and reliability to work with depending on the job.
Key Specs and Features of the SSDs
Micron engineered the 9650 SSD to move data faster than any other storage device currently on the market. It delivers up to 28 gigabytes per second of sequential read speed, 14 gigabytes per second for writes, and 5.5 million input/output operations per second on random reads. This is essential for feeding GPUs in real time and keeping them working at full capacity. It also includes air- and liquid-cooled options and security features suitable for government applications.
If the 9650 is built for speed, the 6600 ION is built for scale. It can hold up to 245 terabytes on a single drive, allowing data centers to store more without stacking racks to the ceiling. Even the 122-terabyte model, roughly the size of a deck of cards, delivers impressive efficiency by using just one watt for every 4.9 terabytes. Across large deployments, the energy savings are big enough to make a real dent—enough to power more than a hundred homes on a typical day.
The 7600 offers a solid middle-ground option for data centers that need reliable performance. Running on PCIe Gen5, the 7600 tackles tasks that rely on quick response times, such as AI inference and database operations. It also comes with read speeds up to 12 gigabytes per second and latency staying below one millisecond; it handles those workloads with ease. Micron builds the entire drive in-house, including the NAND, controller, firmware, and DRAM, helping to ensure better reliability, security, and smoother integration across systems.
The 7600 SSD delivers fast, consistent Gen5 performance for AI and database tasks, with low latency and fully in-house Micron engineering.
A Major Generational Improvement
PCIe Gen6 doubles the bandwidth of Gen5, pushing transfer rates up to 64 gigatransfers per second per lane. That extra headroom allows the 9650 SSD to hit read speeds as high as 28 gigabytes per second, which is critical for feeding large AI models without delay. It’s built to handle the heavy data flow that modern training and inference workloads throw at a system, keeping GPUs running at full capacity rather than waiting around for data.
Along with the speed boost, the 9650 is also more power-efficient. Micron says it draws up to 67 percent less energy during random reads compared to its Gen5 counterparts. That kind of efficiency matters more than ever as data centers must balance performance with tighter energy and cooling constraints. Before launch, the 9650 was tested for compatibility with hardware from companies like Nvidia, Dell, and Astera Labs. These tests were run to verify that the drive works as expected under typical operating conditions and plays well with existing server hardware. For large-scale AI deployments, avoiding compatibility issues and unexpected behavior is just as important as raw performance.
How AI Data Centers Can Benefit From the SSDs
AI models are no longer limited to lab environments. They’re powering real-time assistants, search engines, diagnostics, and much more. But running them efficiently requires an infrastructure that can deliver huge volumes of data with almost no delay. At the same time, energy efficiency is no longer optional. Data centers already account for around two percent of global electricity usage, and that number is climbing.
Micron’s SSDs are designed to help slow that growth without slowing down performance. Micron’s 9650 may help keep GPUs running at full tilt by eliminating lag in the data pipeline. Meanwhile, the 6600 ION allows operators to build large data lakes using far fewer servers, cutting down both energy use and equipment costs.
AI systems need more than just compute; they need storage that can keep up. Micron’s new SSD portfolio delivers the speed, density, and energy efficiency required for next-generation workloads. The 9650, 6600 ION, and 7600 SSDs bring the data pipeline up to speed, helping AI infrastructure perform at its full potential.
