Micron Introduces 232-Layer 3D TLC NAND Flash
Micron announced that it will launch the industry’s first 232-layer 3D TLC NAND flash memory. Micron is currently preparing to start production of the new 232-layer 3D TLC NAND flash memory chips in late 2022 and plans to use them in a variety of products, including solid-state drives.
Micron’s 232-layer 3D NAND flash memory chip uses the CuA architecture, using NAND’s string stacking technology, and has an initial capacity of 1Tb (128GB), TomsHardware reported. The new CuA architecture stacking technology can greatly reduce the chip size of 1Tb 3D TLC NAND flash memory, which can help reduce costs, allowing Micron to more aggressively price products equipped with these chips, or improve product profits.
Speaking of SSDs, Micron’s Scott DeBoer, executive vice president of technology and products:
“We optimized [232-layer 3D NAND] technology around what we need to make the world’s fastest managed NAND and both datacenter and client SSD products,” said DeBoer. “The combination of controllers, both internal and external, has been a strong element of our vertical product integration focus to ensure that we have optimized NAND and controller technology for what we need to deliver future leadership products.“
Micron has not yet announced the specific parameters of the 232-layer 3D NAND flash memory chip, but it seems to be better than the existing 3D NAND flash memory to meet the needs of the next generation of PCIe 5.0 solid-state drives. Micron also said that the new chips also consume less power, which may be related to its focus on mobile applications.
Since the mass production time is at the end of 2022, it is expected that products equipped with 232-layer 3D NAND flash memory chips will appear in 2023.
