Can you share more about the requirements and uses? Why does it have to be macOS based…especially if it sounds like you’re keeping the hardware at the end? Is it because these NVMes are APFS?

If I wanted a Linux server long term but needed it to be a Mac for a temporary job I’d build an Proxmox server, spec it accordingly, and run a macOS VM. Not the best long term solution but you can get it running and disable updates so it is stable for shorter timespans.