Microsoft is making a major change to storage performance in Windows Server 2025 by adding native support for NVMe devices. The company describes this as a significant step forward, primarily because it enables modern SSDs to operate without legacy bottlenecks.
Until now, Windows has handled NVMe drives through older SCSI-based layers. That approach made sense years ago, when storage was slower and based on spinning disks; however, it limits the number of commands a drive can process simultaneously. NVMe works very differently. It’s designed for parallel workloads, using thousands of queues instead of just one, which lets high-end SSDs process massive amounts of data simultaneously.
By removing the extra translation layers, Windows Server 2025 cuts down on overhead and latency. Internal benchmarks show clear gains: random read performance jumps significantly, while CPU usage per operation drops noticeably compared to Windows Server 2022. In practical terms, servers can do more work while using fewer resources.
These improvements aren’t just theoretical. Databases like SQL Server, virtualization platforms such as Hyper-V, and heavy file servers all benefit from faster storage access. Data-intensive workloads, including analytics and AI pipelines, also see quicker access to large datasets, which can improve responsiveness and throughput.
Native NVMe support isn’t enabled automatically. Administrators need to ensure they’re using the built-in Windows NVMe driver, apply the latest updates, and explicitly turn the feature on through policy or registry settings. Once active, performance can be monitored using familiar Windows tools.
While similar capabilities have existed in Linux and VMware for years, this update finally brings Windows Server in line. Actual benefits will still depend on hardware, drivers, and workload type, so careful testing remains essential before rolling it out widely.