Samsung may launch 236-layer 3D NAND flash this year
Earlier this month, SK hynix announced that it has successfully developed the world’s first 238-layer NAND flash memory with the highest number of layers in the industry. It has sent samples of 238-layer 512Gb TLC 4D NAND flash memory to partners and plans to officially put it into mass production in the first half of 2023.
According to Business Korea, Samsung has completed the development of products using the eighth-generation V-NAND technology, which will use 236-layer 3D NAND flash memory chips, and is expected to achieve mass production this year. In addition, Samsung also plans to open a new research and development center this month, which will be responsible for developing more advanced NAND flash memory products.
In the NAND flash memory market, Samsung’s market share is the highest, reaching 35%. However, Samsung’s NAND flash memory is still at 176 layers, using the seventh-generation V-NAND technology. The number of layers is not only lower than SK hynix but also behind Micron, forcing Samsung to speed up the development of new NAND flash memory to ensure a competitive advantage.
In May of this year, Micron announced the launch of 232-layer 3D TLC NAND flash memory and is preparing to start production in late 2022, planning to be used in various products including solid-state drives. The chip adopts the CuA architecture, uses the NAND string stacking technology, and has an initial capacity of 1Tb. Micron said that the new CuA architecture stacking technology can greatly reduce the chip size of 1Tb 3D TLC NAND flash memory, which helps to reduce costs.
Samsung has previously stated that it will advance the research and development of 3D NAND flash memory with more than 600 layers as planned, and the number of layers may exceed 1,000 in the future. At the same time, it will decide when to start mass production according to market demand, and it will generally be updated every 12 to 18 months. Referring to such a timetable, storage devices equipped with 238-layer NAND flash memory are likely to be seen this year.
