- Solidigm shows off purple-colored, liquid-cooled SSDs at GTC 2025
- The design put me in mind of its limited-edition Lego SSD made for #122Day
- The Solidigm D7-PS1010 E1.S for AI servers will launch in late 2025
For the reveal of its 122.88TB D5-P5336 SSD on #122Day (January 22nd), Solidigm created a custom, limited-edition Lego version of its high-capacity drive for journalists and customers to build.
That promotional product, timed to also coincide with International Lego Day on January 28, feels like a fitting prelude to what the company showed off at GTC 2025.
Although there was nothing toy-like about Solidigm’s compact rack of liquid-cooled NVMe SSDs on display, it had the same visual flair, with a funky purple color scheme and a 9.5mm form factor.
Eliminating air cooling entirely
The demo featured the Solidigm D7-PS1010 E1.S mounted in a dense mini rack setup. Although the SSDs were liquid-cooled it wasn’t done in the traditional sense.
There’s no fluid flowing through the drives themselves. Instead, they rely on server-mounted cold plates that make contact with both sides of the SSD casing.
ServeTheHome explains, “Instead of bringing the liquid into the SSD, and having to deal with quick disconnects and potentially losing a drop or two of fluid with each change, the server has coldplates. Then the SSDs are inserted into these coldplates which then cover a face of the SSD’s case, thereby keeping it cool.”
Unrelated, but very relevant, is the fact Nvidia showed off Kyber-based NVL576 racks at GTC.
Expected to launch in the second half of 2027, these could draw up to 600kW, and Nvidia hinted that future racks could require full megawatts of power.
In that kind of environment, every component – including storage – will need to shed heat efficiently, something Solidigm’s solution achieves without the need for fans.
As well as eliminating air cooling entirely, it will cut HVAC costs and support hot-swappable eSSDs.
The fun purple housing and small-scale rack configuration certainly made the display stand out among more conventional server demos at the event, but this isn’t a consumer product.
Solidigm designed the D7-PS1010, with input from Nvidia, specifically for enterprise and AI workloads, and plans to offer it in two versions: a 9.5mm model with liquid-cooling support and a 15mm version for air-cooled systems.
Launch is targeted for the second half of 2025.
