Breaking Records: SK Hynix’s 321-Layer NAND

At FMS 2023, SK Hynix reveals the status of their work on the first NAND with more than 300 layers.

The “Innovation to Continue for Development of High-Performance NAND for AI Era” initiative was also revealed for next-generation NAND solutions including PCIe 5th Gen and UFS 4.0.

August  2023, in Seoul

SK hynix Inc unveiled a sample of its 321-layer 4D NAND, revealing the development of the first NAND with more than 300 layers in the market.

At the Flash Memory Summit (FMS) 20232, held from August in Santa Clara, the business made a presentation on the developments of their 321-layer 1Tb TLC1 4D NAND Flash and showcased samples of the product.

1.Triple Level Cell (TLC): Depending on the quantity of information (measured in bit units) contained in a single cell, NAND Flash products are divided into single, multi, triple, quadruple, and penta level cells. More data can be stored in the same amount of space if a cell has more information.

2.The largest annual NAND Flash industry meeting is called the Flash Memory Summit (FMS).

The first company in the sector to reveal in detail the creation of a NAND with more than 300 layers is SK Hynix. The company intends to increase the 321-layer product’s level of completeness and begin mass manufacturing in the first half of 2025.

According to the business, the achievement of the world’s highest 238-layer NAND, which is already in mass production, increased its technological competitiveness and set the ground for a smooth development of the 321-layer product. “SK Hynix will lead the market and usher in the era of NAND with more than 300 layers with another breakthrough to address stacking limitations.”

Thanks to technological advancements that allowed for the stacking of more cells and greater storage capacity on a single chip, the 321-layer 1Tb TLC NAND has a 59% higher productivity than the previous generation’s 238-layer 512Gb, increasing the total capacity that can be produced on a single wafer.

Since the release of ChatGPT, which drove the expansion of the generative AI market, there has been a sharp increase in demand for high-performance and high-capacity memory products that can handle more data more quickly.

In light of this, SK Hynix also unveiled next-generation NAND solutions at the FMS, including the enterprise SSD that uses UFS 4.0 and the PCIe Gen5 interface.

With an emphasis on high performance, the business anticipates that these products will attain performance that is among the best in the industry to fully satisfy consumer expectations.

With the superior technology for solution creation it acquired through these products, SK hynix also declared that it has begun work on the next-generation PCIe Gen6 and UFS 5.0 and reaffirmed its commitment to setting the industry trend.

The business anticipates the continuous development of the 321-layer product, the fifth generation of the 4D NAND, to help the company strengthen its technological leadership in the NAND field, according to Jungdal Choi, Head of NAND Development, in a keynote speech. We will work to satisfy the demands of the AI era and continue to lead innovation with the timely introduction of the high-performance and high-capacity NAND.