Micron just dropped a bombshell in the storage world: a PCIe 6.x SSD prototype with a jaw-dropping sequential read speed of 27GB/s. That’s not just fast—it’s the fastest PCIe 6.x SSD on the planet, eclipsing Micron’s previous record of 26GB/s. Showcased at DesignCon 2025, this beast of a drive was paired with Astera Labs’ Scorpio P-Series Fabric Switch, delivering data transfer rates nearly twice as fast as today’s top PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Talk about a game-changer.
The secret sauce? The Scorpio P-Series switch, with its 64 PCIe 6.x lanes and four-port architecture, enabled seamless data flow between storage, processors, and GPUs. But the real magic happened when NVIDIA’s Magnum IO GPUDirect Storage stepped in, creating a direct data path between the Micron SSD and an NVIDIA H100 GPU. By bypassing the CPU, this setup showcased the potential of PCIe 6.x to revolutionize AI and cloud storage workloads, where speed is everything.
Here’s the kicker: PCIe 6.x offers double the bandwidth of PCIe 5.0, delivering up to 256GB/s of bidirectional throughput on an x16 lane configuration. For hyperscale data centers, this leap in performance could be transformative. But before we get too excited, there’s a catch. The ecosystem isn’t ready yet. CPUs, GPUs, and network interfaces need to catch up to fully harness PCIe 6.x’s capabilities. And while this prototype is a glimpse into the future, don’t expect to see PCIe 6.x SSDs on shelves anytime soon. The tech is still in its infancy, with manufacturers fine-tuning hardware and software for compatibility and efficiency.
