VDURA and Phison Shatter the AI Data Transfer Record with Hafþór “The Mountain” Björnsson at SC25

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 19, 2025--

The world just witnessed data history in the making. At Supercomputing 2025 (SC25), VDURA, the leader in AI and HPC data-storage software infrastructure, and Phison Electronics, a global leader in NAND flash controllers and storage solutions, teamed with Hafþór “The Mountain” Björnsson to achieve the fastest data transfer ever recorded.

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Before a packed audience at Booth 2033, Björnsson transferred 136.5 petabytes (PB) of data in just 27 seconds, hitting a sustained rate of 5.1 PB per second (≈ 303 PB per minute). The demonstration showcased the combined power of Phison Pascari enterprise SSDs and VDURA’s Flash-optimized parallel data storage infrastructure. Unleashing bandwidth once thought impossible in AI and HPC environments.

“VDURA is built for moments like this,” said Ken Claffey, CEO of VDURA. “What Thor achieved on the show floor symbolizes what our customers achieve every day. Extreme performance, scalability, and durability, all working together at record-breaking speed.”

From Lifting Data to Moving Data at Light Speed

Last year at SC24, Thor stunned the industry by lifting 282.6 PB of data, the largest amount of data lifted in history.

This year at SC25, the challenge evolved from capacity to speed: moving hundreds of petabytes in seconds. Powered by VDURA’s DirectFlow® client, true parallel file system, VeLO metadata engine, and Phison Pascari D205V NVMe drives, Thor’s record demonstrates the throughput and durability needed for the next generation of AI factories and GPU-accelerated clusters.

“VDURA represents strength, speed, and resilience, the same values I live by,” said Hafþór “Thor” Björnsson. “Last year we lifted data. This year, we unleashed its velocity.”

How Fast Is 5.1 PB Per Second?

To put this record in perspective with some estimates:

The Most Powerful Data Storage Infrastructure Software

The live demonstration highlighted VDURA’s architecture, delivering the performance of NVMe Flash with the economics of scalable capacity. Flash throughput and metadata acceleration eliminate pipeline chokepoints while automation keeps data tiered without hands-on tuning. Try out the VDURA GPU Storage Calculator here.

About VDURA

VDURA builds the world’s most powerful data platform for AI and high-performance computing, blending flash-first speed with hyperscale capacity and 12-nines durability, all delivered with breakthrough simplicity. Visit vdura.com for more information.

About Phison

Phison Electronics is a global leader in NAND flash controllers and storage solutions, powering more than one in every five SSDs shipped worldwide. Phison has grown into a multi-billion-dollar company with over 4,500 employees—70% of which are dedicated to R&D – and more than 2,000 patents. The company’s innovations include aiDAPTIV+, an award-winning AI solution for affordable LLM training and inferencing on-premises, and Pascari, a portfolio of ultra-high-performance enterprise SSDs purpose-built for data-intensive workloads across AI, cloud, and hyperscale data centers.

Before a packed audience at Booth 2033 at SC25, Björnsson transferred 136.5 petabytes (PB) of data in just 27 seconds, hitting a sustained rate of 5.1 PB per second (≈ 303 PB per minute).

Strength meets speed: VDURA and Phison smash the AI data transfer record with Hafþór “The Mountain” Björnsson at SC25.

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The last ghoulish gargoyle has been returned to its perch as part of a two-year restoration of a Kentucky cathedral with a facade modeled after Notre Dame in Paris.

The rehab project at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption was sorely needed to repair deteriorated stone, metal and glass that adorns the limestone exterior. The project included 32 recreated gargoyles along with repairs of deteriorated finials, arches and balustrades.

The 125-year-old church, in Covington just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, offers the experience of a European gothic cathedral in the Midwest, said the Very Rev. Ryan Maher, the cathedral’s rector. The cathedral has an “intimate connection to what is really the most popular and most well-known cathedral outside of Rome itself,” he said.

“I think it's very special and very unique,” said Maher, who watched from the sidewalk as the last gargoyle, made of terra cotta, was raised to top of the facade on Monday.

The renovation price tag was nearly $8 million, and most came from donations, Maher said.

Brian Walter, CEO of Trisco Systems, the contractor, said the final gargoyle going in was “a symbol of the accomplishment of all our facade work.”

“That’s a big, monumental occasion for not only people here, but for us. That kind of symbolized the last stone we’re putting in,” Walter said.

Restoration plans grew out of Maher's discovery in 2018 of a large piece of stone that fell from the exterior.

“We realized at that time that we needed to investigate not only the source of that one piece of stone that had fallen, but to take a look at the overall facade of the cathedral,” Maher said.

Workers will continue with smaller tasks around the facade, including the installation of chimeras that sit on the roofline, but the heavy lifting has been completed, Walter said.

“This is kind of a once or twice in a lifetime project,” Walter said.

The story has been updated to correct that the gargoyles are made of terra cotta, not stone.

Workers are seen beyond an orange cherry picker high on the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, known as "America's Notre Dame," as the final new terra cotta gargoyle is secured with straps to the left, in Covington, Ky., on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The final new terra cotta gargoyle is installed by Cole Burklund, top, and Blake Priest using a cherry picker high on the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, known as "America's Notre Dame," in Covington, Ky., on Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The final new terra cotta gargoyle is secured at right after being installed high on the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, known as "America's Notre Dame," in Covington, Ky., on Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The final new terra cotta gargoyle is installed by Cole Burklund, in the bright yellow, and Blake Priest using a cherry picker high on the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, known as "America's Notre Dame," in Covington, Ky., on Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The final new terra cotta gargoyle is prepared for installation high on the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, known as "America's Notre Dame," in Covington, Ky., on Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)