Overview
- The new storage stack processes NVMe natively instead of translating commands through the older SCSI layer, addressing a bottleneck with modern PCIe SSDs.
- In Windows Server 2025 the feature is opt-in via a registry or PowerShell switch, and after a reboot NVMe drives show up under Storage Disks in Device Manager.
- Microsoft’s figures cite roughly 1.8 million to 3.3 million IOPS on a PCIe‑5.0 SSD and up to about 80% more random 4KB read IOPS with roughly 45% fewer CPU cycles per I/O versus WS2022.
- Heise reports Windows 11 includes the new driver that can be activated with unofficial registry keys, with early anecdotal tests showing 10–15% higher throughput on a PCIe‑4.0 SSD and faster settling to idle, though the method is not endorsed by Microsoft.
- Microsoft describes the change as a cornerstone of its storage modernization and says it will consider bringing the native NVMe stack to Windows 11 after server-side validation.