The VMD (Volume Management Device) controller is a feature of Intel Xeon Scalable processors that enables direct control and management of NVMe SSDs from the PCIe bus without additional software or hardware. It allows for the management and aggregation of NVMe SSDs, and is used for RAID or Optane support. When VMD is enabled, it is necessary to use Intels RST drivers, even for a clean installation of Windows 11. However, enabling VMD does not improve the performance of a single drive. In some cases, enabling VMD can cause issues such as longer boot times or an invisible NVMe SSD PCI device. It is possible to remove Intel VMD without reinstalling Windows, but it is important to create a restore point and not delete the drivers in case something goes wrong.