NVMe
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Computer Hardware
| Stands for | Non-Volatile Memory Express |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
NVMe stands for Non-Volatile Memory Express, a computer hardware abbreviation.
Storage protocol designed for flash memory that connects SSDs directly to the PCI Express bus, cutting latency and allowing far more parallel commands than the older SATA/AHCI path. NVMe drives commonly come as M.2 sticks.
Example: The PS5's expansion slot needs a PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive rated at 5,500 MB/s or faster.
Usage notes
The NVM Express consortium published version 1.0 in 2011. NVMe supports up to 65,535 queues of up to 65,536 commands each, compared with a single 32-command queue for AHCI. Not every M.2 drive is NVMe; some M.2 SSDs use the SATA protocol and are limited to about 550 MB/s. NVMe-oF extends the protocol across networks for data-center storage.
Related abbreviations
More computer hardware abbreviations
- NAND – NOT-AND (NAND flash memory)
- NAS – Network-attached storage
- NGFF – Next Generation Form Factor
- NIC – Network interface card
- NPU – Neural processing unit
- NUC – Next Unit of Computing
- NVRAM – Non-volatile random-access memory
- OC – Overclocking
- ODD – Optical disc drive
- ODM – Original design manufacturer
- OTG – USB On-The-Go
- PATA – Parallel ATA