Secure AI-Native Infrastructure for the Modern Telco Network

Why It Matters

Tailored AI‑optimized SSDs and space‑grade storage give telcos the performance and latency edge needed for next‑generation services, from edge AI to satellite‑based data processing.

Key Takeaways

• Kioxia supplies 30% of global flash memory from Japan plant.
• AI workloads need distinct SSDs for ingestion, training, inference, RAG.
• New 2TB QLC drives offer up to 100TB capacity per unit.
• Roadmap targets 10M IOPS by year‑end, 100M IOPS by 2027.
• HPE’s Spaceborne computers use 120TB Kioxia storage for edge computing.

Summary

The presentation introduced Kioxia, the former Toshiba Memory, as a vertically integrated flash‑memory leader that produces roughly 30% of the world’s SSD supply from its Yokohama plant. It then detailed how Kioxia’s portfolio of SSDs is engineered for each stage of the AI data pipeline—ingestion, training, inference and retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG)—with specific product families such as the LC9, CD9P, XD8 and CM9 series. Key data points included the launch of industry‑first 2‑terabyte QLC drives delivering up to 100 TB per unit, and a roadmap promising 10 million IOPS by year‑end and a stretch goal of 100 million IOPS by 2027 via next‑gen Excel flash and PCIe Gen 6/7. Igor Potter highlighted that Linus TechTips showcased four drives holding a petabyte of data, underscoring the scale of Kioxia’s offerings. Norm Flett shifted focus to HPE’s space‑borne computing platform, which now carries 120 TB of Kioxia storage aboard the International Space Station. He recounted the glove‑wear analysis workflow—thousands of JPEGs sent to Houston for manual review—and how on‑board processing cuts latency and communication costs, illustrating a real‑world edge‑computing use case. The combined narrative signals a shift for modern telco networks: adopting AI‑native SSDs tailored to workload characteristics and leveraging high‑performance, low‑latency storage both on Earth and in orbit. As data volumes explode, operators that align infrastructure with these specialized drives will gain competitive advantage in latency‑sensitive services and emerging space‑edge applications.

Original Description

At MWC26, Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Scott Meltzer and Katrine Spang-Hanssen discuss the company’s latest solutions for modernising telco networks and accelerating enterprise AI, including its AI-native routing and O-RAN/vRAN capabilities, HPE Private Cloud for AI, multivendor AI ops solutions, secure infrastructure at scale, and its cloud-native self-driving operations platform.

Featuring:

- Igor Pater, Business Support Manager, KIOXIA, HPE

- Katrine Spang-Hanssen, Comedy Industries

- Norm Follett, Senior Director, HPC Global Technical Marketing, Space Technologies & Solutions, HPE

- Scott Meltzer, Comedy Industries

Recorded March 2026

#telecomtv #mwc26 #hpe #kioxia #ainative