Yes, your SSD can be used with iPad - with some caveats...
First, not all SSDs work well, if at all, with iPad. By example, we often see reports here of issues with the Samsung T7 series. You might be well advised to heed Manufacturers advice concerning compatibility. If the SSD appears to work at all, data transfer may be unreliable. Without explicit stated support, if you lose or corrupt data, the ownership of the issue and responsibility for data loss are yours alone.
To be recognised by iPadOS, the attached USB storage device must be formatted to FAT, FAT32, exFAT, APFS or HFS+ with a single data partition. As the iPad has limited power capabilities, dependent upon the Storage Device, an external power source may be required. Note that iPad has no facility to format an external storage device; formatting requires an appropriate computer.
If you have one of the newest iPad Pro models, with a USB-C connector, you may need to utilise a powered USB hub (i.e., it has its own source of power) - connecting both the iPad Pro and the storage device to ports on the hub. There are some USB-C hubs that usefully provide USB-PD pass-through power for both the iPad and connected storage device; there appear to be relatively few USB-C hubs that also provide an additional powered downstream USB-C connection for connection of USB-C Storage devices.
Also beware of SSD write-caching. iPadOS does not have a “safe” or “Quick Removal” option with which to safely dismount a mounted storage volume. The only way to safely disconnect an SSD volume from iPadOS is to fully shut-down the iPad prior to disconnecting the SSD - as this is the only way to ensure that any pending “write” operations are competed before disconnect. Failure to observe this precaution can result in file corruption.
Some additional information can be found here:
Connect external devices or servers with Files on iPhone - Apple Support
https://www.imore.com/how-use-external-hard-drives-your-iphone-or-ipad
