IBM Storage Scale System

The fastest path to AI, high-performance computing, and advanced analytics

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IBM has been named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Enterprise Storage Platforms.

Find out why IBM has been recognized. IBM has previously been recognized 17 consecutive times as a Leader in the Magic Quadrant for Primary Storage Platform.**

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16,384 Nodes supported in a single cluster (across 256 clusters) Read the technical FAQs 4.7 PB Raw capacity in a compact 4U node Read the solution guide 28 million IOPS with NVMe over Fabrics (NVMeoF) Read the solution brief 340 GB/s Read and 155 GB/s write throughput with low latency Read the Redbook

Built to accelerate insights

Designed for fast deployment of AI, HPC and advanced analytics with a high-performance solution that combines IBM Storage Scale software and NVMe flash technology to process massive volumes of data across globally distributed environments.
Extreme performance

Turn data into value faster with a high-throughput, low-latency architecture designed to deliver sustained performance at scale.
Content-aware intelligence

Unlock the semantic meaning of data to help AI and analytics tools generate more accurate and relevant answers.
Global scalability

Scale to thousands of nodes with advanced caching technology that enables fast access to file and object data across on-premises and hybrid cloud environments.
Operational resiliency

Protect critical data and maintain business continuity with an architecture built for rapid recovery, even in the face of unexpected events.

Built on Scale software

Each system is built with IBM Storage Scale software, delivering the performance and scalability to help organizations extract insights from unstructured data, bringing intelligence to where the data lives.

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Compare system models

Front of view IBM Storage scale 3500 Product

IBM Storage Scale 3500

Delivers enterprise-grade performance in a compact form factor, combining simplicity, flexibility and a modular building-block design, making it ideal for midsize organizations and edge deployments.
Front of view IBM Storage scale 6000 Product

IBM Storage Scale 6000

Designed for extreme performance and scalability to support data-intensive workloads. As NVIDIA-Certified Storage, it delivers GPU-optimized throughput for faster insights and decision-making.
Specification
Storage Scale System 3500
Storage Scale System 6000
Size2 rack units (2U)4 rack units (4U)
Supported drives
  • 24 * 30.72 TB TLC NVMe
  • 24 * 61.44 TB QLC +24 * 30.72 TB TLC NVM
  • 48 * 30.72 TB TLC NVMe
  • 48 * 38.4 TB FlashCore Modules (FCM)
  • 12 x 30.72TB TLC NVMe + 36 + 122.88TB QLC
Maximum raw capacity737.28 TB4791.68 TB
Maximum throughput126 GB/s340 GB/s
ExpansionUp to 4 direct-attached JBODsUp to 3 attached All-Flash Expansion Enclosures
Data transfer12 GB SAS24 GB SAS

The new IBM Scale System All-Flash Expansion Enclosure delivers massive capacity and virtually unlimited expandability.

Designed for running workloads that operate on massive data sets, the new IBM Scale System All-Flash Expansion Enclosure is optimized for high performance AI training, inferencing, advanced analytics, and other data intensive workloads.

Each expansion enclosure can deliver up to 100GB/s of throughput and more than 3PB of raw flash capacity in a 2U form factor. The enclosure supports up to 4 NVIDIA BlueField-3 data processing units (DPUs) and 26 dual-port industry-standard QLC flash drives 2U. When configured with 128TB QLC NVMe SSDs, the enhanced Storage Scale System 6000 delivers more than 42PB of cost-effective high-density flash capacity in a single 42U rack. 

Storage Scale System All-Flash enclosure - Front view

Accelerating AI with IBM Storage Scale and NVIDIA

An integrated solution for developing and deploying enterprise AI applications at scale.

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Real world. Real results.

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See how Baidu cuts costs and scales fast with simplified storage architecture and massive data capacity.
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High-speed research imaging
Explore how The University of Queensland accelerates AI and Alzheimer’s research with fast, scalable data storage.
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Scaling AI for safer driving
Find out how Continental accelerates autonomous driving with AI workflows and fast, scalable infrastructure.
Next steps

Discover how to break barriers with a global data platform for AI and enterprise data with IBM Storage Scale System. Schedule a meeting with an IBM Storage representative.

 Read the introduction guide
More ways to explore Documentation Support Community Lifecycle Services for IBM Storage
Footnotes

**Recognized in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Primary Storage Platforms from 2019-2024
   Recognized in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Solid-State arrays from 2014-2018
   Recognized in Gartner Magic Quadrant for General Purpose Disk Arrays from 2013-2018