KIOXIA is introducing a new storage solution with its Exceria G3 SSD series, an M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD lineup that combines PCIe 5.0 speeds with QLC NAND memory to offer more affordable options for fast PCIe 5.0 storage. Scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2025, these M.2 2280 drives will be available in 1 TB and 2 TB capacities. They promise sequential read speeds of up to 10,000 MB/s and write speeds reaching 9,600 MB/s for the larger model. By integrating the latest interface standard with its eighth-generation BiCS FLASH QLC memory, KIOXIA aims to attract users looking to upgrade from older SATA and PCIe 3.0 drives, without pushing them into the higher-priced tier dominated by TLC NAND.

While QLC memory has historically lagged behind TLC in endurance and performance, the 2 TB G3 surpasses KIOXIA's Exceria Plus G4 in sequential writes and random IOPS, achieving 1.6 million read operations and 1.45 million write operations per second. This improvement is due to the BiCS8 architectural enhancements, which enable KIOXIA to rate the drives at 600 TBW for the 1 TB model and 1,200 TBW for the 2 TB version. These durability figures are comparable to most modern TLC offerings. The 1 TB variant is also impressive, with 10,000 MB/s read speeds, 8,900 MB/s write speeds, and 1.3 million IOPS for random reads. Naturally, performance decreases with smaller capacities. Pricing is still unknown, but the point here is affordability, so that might be something to look forward to.