NVMe Specifications Overview

The NVM Express® (NVMe®) family of specifications define how host software communicates with non-volatile memory across multiple transports like PCI Express® (PCIe®), RDMA, TCP and more. It is the industry standard for solid state drives (SSDs) in all form factors (U.2, M.2, AIC, EDSFF). NVM Express is the non-profit consortium of tech industry leaders defining, managing and marketing NVMe technology. The latest versions of the family of specifications, NVMe 2.0 specifications, were released on June 3, 2021.

The NVMe 2.0 library of specifications consists of multiple documents, including the NVMe Base specification, Command Set specifications (NVM Command Set specification, ZNS Command Set specification, KV Command Set specification), Transport specifications (PCIe Transport specification, Fibre Channel Transport specification, RDMA Transport specification and TCP Transport specification) and the NVMe Management Interface specification.

The restructured NVMe 2.0 specifications enable faster and simpler development of NVMe technology, supporting the seamless deployment of flash-based solutions in many emerging market segments. The specifications include evolutionary new features like Zoned Namespaces (ZNS), Key Value (KV), Rotational Media and Endurance Group Management.

You may view the current versions of the NVMe 2.0 specifications by visiting the links provided below:

You may also access information related to the NVMe, NVMe-oF and NVMe-MI specifications on the following pages:

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