Storage for AI & Deep Learning
Fast storage is critical for AI workloads. PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs deliver up to 12,400 MB/s read speeds, dramatically reducing data loading times and training iteration cycles. Whether you're working with large datasets, checkpoints, or need high-capacity enterprise storage, the right SSD configuration can eliminate I/O bottlenecks.
What you'll find on this page:
Understanding Storage for AI Workloads
Why Storage Speed Matters
- • Faster data loading reduces training time per epoch
- • Quick checkpoint saves/loads during long training runs
- • Efficient dataset preprocessing and augmentation pipelines
- • PCIe 5.0 delivers up to 2x faster speeds than PCIe 4.0
Capacity Recommendations
- • 1-2TB: Personal projects, small datasets
- • 4TB: Research workstations, medium datasets
- • 8TB+: Enterprise, large-scale training
- • 16TB Arrays: Data centers, multi-GPU systems
Consumer NVMe SSDs
Best for Personal & Research Use
Consumer SSDs offer excellent value for AI workloads. PCIe 5.0 drives deliver 12,000+ MB/s speeds for fast dataset loading and checkpoint saves.
PCIe 4.0 vs PCIe 5.0 - Which Should You Buy?
PCIe 4.0 SSDs are still very fast and offer better price-to-performance ratios. They're ideal for most AI workloads where storage isn't the bottleneck.
PCIe 5.0 SSDs provide maximum speed (up to 14,600 MB/s) for demanding applications. Buy these if price isn't a concern and you want the absolute fastest storage available.
Selecting Your Capacity
Product links may direct you to the 1TB base model. Use Amazon's capacity selector to choose the size that matches your needs (1TB, 2TB, 4TB, etc.) or check the Systems page for capacity recommendations based on your workload.
Samsung 990 EVO Plus
High-performance PCIe 4.0 SSD offering excellent value and speed for AI workloads
Samsung 990 PRO Heatsink
Premium PCIe 5.0 SSD with integrated heatsink for maximum performance in demanding AI applications
WD_Black SN8100
High-speed PCIe 5.0 SSD from Western Digital designed for gaming and professional content creation
Crucial P510 SSD
Reliable PCIe 5.0 SSD from Crucial with excellent performance-to-price ratio for AI datasets
Enterprise & High-Capacity Storage
For Production & Large-Scale Datasets
Enterprise storage solutions offer massive capacity (4TB-8TB) with high endurance for data centers and multi-GPU training systems.
Selecting Your Capacity
Product links show the base capacity (typically 4TB or 8TB). On Amazon, you can select different capacities using the dropdown selector. Choose based on your dataset size and requirements outlined in the Systems page recommendations.
Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB
High-capacity PCIe 4.0 SSD offering excellent value for large AI datasets
WD_Black SN8100 4TB
High-capacity PCIe 5.0 SSD for professional workloads requiring maximum speed
Samsung 990 PRO Heatsink 4TB
Premium 4TB PCIe 5.0 SSD with integrated heatsink for enterprise AI workloads
Samsung 990 PRO Heatsink 8TB
Ultra high-capacity 8TB PCIe 5.0 SSD for enterprise AI data centers and massive datasets
Storage Comparison
Comparison Limit Reached
You can compare up to 4 storage devices at once.