Windows Server 2025 gains native NVMe support, 14 years after its introduction — groundbreaking I/O stack drops SCSI emulation limitations for massive throughput and CPU efficiency gains

Windows Server 2025 now supports native NVMe I/O, offering significant performance gains with up to 80% higher IOPS and 45% lower CPU utilization under high I/O loads. This update eliminates SCSI emulation limitations, providing a boost for scenarios like high-performance file serving, virtualization, AI/ML workloads, and databases. Microsoft's engineering team redesigned the I/O processing workflow for extreme performance, resulting in improved latency and round-trip times. While the feature is currently available in Windows Server 2025, its arrival in Windows 11 remains uncertain due to potential compatibility issues with consumer-grade drives.