- Windows Server 2025 removes legacy SCSI overhead to unlock NVMe device performance
- Native NVMe allows servers to handle tens of thousands of concurrent queues
- Enterprise workloads like SQL Server now benefit from lower latency and higher throughput
Microsoft introduced native NVMe support in Windows Server 2025, calling it a “storage revolution” due to the potential performance gains it offers.
Modern NVMe devices, including PCIe Gen5 SSDs and high-end HBAs, can deliver millions of IOPS per drive, far exceeding the capabilities of traditional SCSI stacks.
SCSI uses a single-queue model that limits command throughput and was originally designed for older spinning disks.
Performance Benefits and Real Impact
NVMe supports tens of thousands of queues, with each queue capable of processing tens of thousands of commands simultaneously, allowing servers to efficiently handle much higher workloads.
Native NVMe removes the translation layers that previously routed NVMe I/O over SCSI, reducing processing overhead and latency.
DiskSpd.exe testing shows that Windows Server 2025 can achieve up to 80% higher 4K random read IOPS and approximately 45% fewer CPU cycles per I/O compared to Windows Server 2022.
Enterprise applications reflect these improvements, including SQL Server and OLTP workloads, virtualization with Hyper-V, and high-performance file servers performing large read, write, and metadata operations.
Analytics and AI/ML workloads also benefit from faster access to large data sets, making the system more responsive for complex ETL and cache operations.
To enable native NVMe, administrators must confirm that devices are using the provided Windows NVMe driver, as vendor-specific drivers may not produce measurable improvements.
The feature is optional and requires applying the latest cumulative update as well as adding a registry key or using Group Policy.
Once enabled, devices appear under Storage Disks in Device Manager and administrators can monitor performance using Performance Monitor or Windows Admin Center by tracking disk transfers per second.
This provides administrators with real-world metrics to validate improvements.
Organizations using cloud hosting or data center hosting setups could use these gains to optimize storage-intensive workloads.
Although Microsoft is touting this as a storage revolution, Linux and VMware have offered native NVMe paths for years.
Its earnings largely depend on the characteristics of the workload, hardware compatibility and correct use of drivers.
To determine real benefits in production environments, organizations need careful deployment and thorough validation.
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