How NVMe-over-TCP Is Transforming High-Performance Storage Systems
- Karthick Srinivasan
- November 28, 2025
In the ever-changing field of storage, the need for speed, scalability, and efficiency has never been greater. Businesses are turning increasingly to high-performance storage systems that can keep up with the vast amounts of data created as a result of AI, analytics, cloud-native apps, and high-performance computing (HPC). Less reliable but faster storage protocols are unable to keep up with the current generation of applications and are causing bottlenecks that are impacting storage speeds. Enter NVMe/TCP, which promises a radical paradigm shift in storage that can help businesses experience unprecedented efficiency and scalability.
Understanding NVMe over TCP
Primarily, NVMe over TCP is an extension of the NVMe protocol, which was intended to connect storage devices over PCIe to a host system directly. NVMe is based on the inherent parallelism in flash storage and achieves very low latency and very high throughput. NVMe over TCP basically extends the low latency and high throughput that NVMe offers over a network to remotely access storage.
Unlike the traditional storage protocols-iSCSI, Fibre Channel, or SAS, which carry inherent overheads with protocol translation and data movement, NVMe-over-TCP allows direct access to NVMe devices over ordinary Ethernet. By leveraging TCP/IP, NVMe-over-TCP eliminates the need for specialised networking hardware, reduces complexity, and maintains the high-speed advantages of NVMe
Main Benefits of NVMe over TCP
1. Low Latency and High Throughput
One of the main advantages of NVMe over TCP is that it can provide sub-millisecond latency, even in a network configuration. This is due to the fact that traditional storage solutions tend to introduce latency due to translation and processing. NVMe over TCP reduces these translations to ensure that data flows from and to storage and compute systems quickly. This means that read and write operations are faster, which is essential for applications such as analytics, machine learning, and HPC.
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Using NVMe-over-TCP, the need for dedicated hardware such as Fibre channel switches and HBAs is no longer necessary. The use of regular Ethernet infrastructure is sufficient. This means that businesses can enjoy high-speed storage without having to invest in networking infrastructure that may have seemed too expensive for the organisation.
3. Scalability
With NVMe over TCP, it is possible to scale the storage networks effectively. Here, by employing TCP/IP, it becomes quite simple to extend or shrink the storage nodes. This is extremely useful in cloud computing and data centers, as the demand for storage rises dynamically.
4. Interoperability and Flexibility
One of the challenges associated with high-performance storage solutions is the problem of interoperability between different vendors/platforms. NVMe-over-TCP solves this problem by utilising standard TCP/IP networking. It is much easier to integrate with a solution like this where organisations can just mix and match whatever vendors and solutions they want. Such a scenario is quite common for cloud-based storage.
NVMe-over-TCP vs. Other Storage Connectivity Protocols
For a better understanding of the significance of NVMe over TCP, let’s briefly discuss the conventional storage connectivity protocols:
- • iSCSI: Although it uses the TCP/IP stack, iSCSI is designed for lower-speed storage based on HDDs and does not offer the parallelism or low-latency benefits provided by NVMe.
- • Fibre Channel: Known for low latency and reliability, Fibre Channel requires specialised switches and hardware, increasing cost and complexity. It is less flexible and harder to scale compared to NVMe over TCP.
- • SAS/SATA: These are typically used for direct-attached storage and do not provide the network accessibility or scalability required for modern data centres.
NVMe-over-TCP is able to strike an optimal balance between the performance capabilities offered by NVMe functionality and the flexibility associated with Ethernet connectivity. As far as large organisations with outdated storage networks are concerned, NVMe-over-TCP offers an interesting alternative.
Real World Applications
The adoption of NVMe-over-TCP is rapidly expanding in the following sectors:
- • Data Centres: Large enterprise organisations that handle massive storage of data are now utilising the NVMe-over-TCP technology for storage consolidation, lower latency, and high-speed access.
- • Cloud Providers: Cloud infrastructure services are simplified, scalable, and cost-effective, all while keeping latency levels small for accessing storage.
- • AI & Analytics: AI applications have intense data access requirements. NVMe-over-TCP ensures smooth execution of AI applications like training and inferencing without being constrained by storage latency.
- • Edge Computing: For edge computing, NVMe over TCP helps to improve data processing closer to the source, hence cutting the reliance on cloud computing for processing.
Designing High-Performance Storage Systems with NVMe-over-TCP
When designing architectures for storing data using NVMe over TCP, one needs to take into account the following aspects:
- • Network Infrastructure: Although NVMe-over-TCP is compatible with common Ethernet networks, a high-bandwidth and low-latency environment is required for optimal performance. Such requirements can be supported by link aggregation and Quality of Service.
- • Storage Topology: Storage architects must take into consideration how NVMe storage devices interconnect. Using storage pools or distributed namespace options may improve data locality or efficiency.
- • Security: Storage data that travels across a TCP/IP network requires a level of security. Encryption, authentication, and network segmentation will protect storage without affecting performance.
- • Monitoring and Management: Effective monitoring capabilities are necessary to monitor latency, throughput, and quality for devices in NVMe/TCP. Active management is needed to ensure system reliability.
The NVMe-over-TCP-based storage networks designed in the correct way can deliver optimum performance with flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
The Future of Storage Connectivity
As data volumes continue to grow and applications demand real-time processing, the importance of efficient storage connectivity protocols cannot be overstated. NVMe-over-TCP is a technology that marks a significant step forward, providing rapid, scalable, and affordable storage networking. Its adoption appears set to continue and accelerate.
Silarra Technologies and High Performance Storage Innovation
Silarra Technologies is an India-based engineering company that has a specific focus areas on the storage and embedded side of the market. This company has over several decades of experience and understanding in the area of storage engineering. It offers end-to-end product engineering services that include the development of firmware and embedded software, as well as system-level validation.
Conclusion
NVMe-over-TCP is a game-changer for the design, implementation, and administration of high-performance storage solutions. By providing the efficiency capabilities of NVMe, combined with the benefits and versatility of a TCP/IP network, it fills the existing gaps found within the current storage connectivity protocols.
This enables companies to provide low latency, high performance, scalability, and cost efficiency while also providing interoperability and versatility within their IT environment. For companies that are either interested in adopting or upgrading the NVMe-over-TCP technology, collaborations with experienced engineers who can handle the end-to-end solutions for their products are integral. Companies with deep expertise in storage and embedded systems, like Silarra Technologies, are well-positioned to help businesses navigate and succeed through this paradigm shift.