At the recent Nvidia GTC conference, a cutting-edge liquid-cooled solid-state drive (SSD) was unveiled to address the heat management challenges in modern high-performance AI data center setups.
Liquid cooling has been traditionally utilized in data centers for high-powered components like GPUs and CPUs. However, Solidigm has introduced a new liquid-cooled enterprise SSD (eSSD) as part of its initiative to enhance data center storage efficiency and performance for AI applications.
The D7-PS1010 SSD eliminates the necessity for traditional fans in data center storage devices, paving the way for fully liquid-cooled AI servers. Collaborating with Nvidia, Solidigm tackled eSSD liquid-cooling hurdles such as hot-swappability and single-side cooling constraints, both of which are key features of the new D7 line.
Real-World Pain Points Addressed by Liquid-Cooled SSDs
During GTC 2025, Solidigm showcased the first 9.5mm cold-plate-cooled SSDs, with plans to introduce a 15mm form factor to offer design flexibility for air-cooled server and storage systems.
Kevin Noh, co-CEO of Solidigm, highlighted the benefits of the innovative Solidigm E1.S SSD and liquid cold-plate kit, emphasizing the significant improvement in thermal efficiency while ensuring data center-grade serviceability.
Roger Corell, senior director of AI and leadership marketing at Solidigm, emphasized the challenges faced by data center engineering teams, particularly the need for full-drive cooling and hot-swap capabilities, which are considered real-world pain points in today’s data centers.
The Rise of Liquid-Cooled SSDs in Data Centers
James Zhao, a senior principal SSD and HDD storage analyst at Omdia, expressed optimism about Solidigm’s liquid-cooled SSD being a potential new standard for cold-plate liquid cooling systems in data centers. Zhao emphasized the importance of efficient cooling solutions for high-performance memory and storage components, especially in compact system designs.
Looking ahead, Zhao noted the significance of collaboration between industry leaders like Solidigm and Nvidia to innovate and address the challenges posed by higher-performing components generating more heat in data center environments.
Cooling AI Storage with Liquid-Cooled SSDs
Solidigm announced that the D7-PS1010 E1.S 9.5mm SSD and liquid cooling cold-plate kit will be available for AI servers in the second half of 2025, with initial capacity options of 3.84 TB and 7.68 TB, and plans to expand the capacity range later in the year.
Corell highlighted the potential future need for full liquid cooling in GPU servers as GPU capabilities continue to advance. Additionally, the elimination of air-cooling fans through liquid cooling and the cold plate solution can enable more compact 1U server designs, ultimately increasing compute density in data center setups.
