NVMe/TCP is a protocol that allows Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) storage devices to be accessed over standard Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) networks. By combining the efficiency of NVMe—a protocol designed for fast, direct communication with solid-state drives (SSDs)—with the ubiquity of TCP/IP, NVMe/TCP enables high-performance storage connectivity across existing data center and cloud infrastructures.

This technology is particularly valuable for AI and cloud environments, where rapid, scalable access to large datasets is essential. NVMe/TCP eliminates the need for specialized networking hardware, making it easier to deploy and manage high-speed storage solutions in distributed systems. It supports flexible scaling and simplifies integration with virtualized and containerized workloads.

Adopting NVMe/TCP can improve storage throughput and reduce latency for demanding applications, but network congestion and TCP overhead may affect performance compared to RDMA-based alternatives. Organizations should evaluate their workload requirements and network architecture when choosing between NVMe/TCP and other storage protocols.