SK Hynix has been making waves in the tech world with its impressive advancement in NAND flash technology. Their latest 4D NAND innovation ushers in a 35% increase in layer count, reaching a groundbreaking 321 layers.
Big News in NAND Flash: SK Hynix’s 321-Layer Tech Starts Production
In a significant move, SK Hynix, a top-tier name in the memory and storage market, has announced they’ve kicked off mass production for their cutting-edge 321-layer Triple-Level Cell (TLC) NAND. This impressive innovation follows last year’s introduction of 1 TB memory chips, setting new standards for storage solutions.
Originally, the rollout for this NAND was pegged for early 2025. However, SK Hynix has jumped the gun, launching ahead of schedule. They boast this as the world’s debut of a 321-layer NAND, enhancing storage capacity dramatically and boosting reliability, thanks to a 35% increase in layers over the previous 238-layer version.
To cross the 300-layer threshold, SK Hynix utilized the innovative "3 Plugs" process technology. This method intricately connects three electrical plugs, creating vertical holes in substrate layers to establish memory cells. By using a low-stress material, they prevent wafer deformation, and with Alignment Correction Technology, production precision is vastly improved.
SK Hynix claims considerable performance boosts with this new tech: 12% faster data transfer rates, a 13% hike in read performance, and over 10% improvements in power efficiency for data reading. These enhancements not only prolong battery life in devices but also boost productivity by 59% due to manufacturing optimizations.
Jungdal Choi, head of NAND Development at SK Hynix, reinforces their commitment: “SK hynix is poised to become a Full Stack AI Memory Provider by bolstering our ultra-high performance NAND offerings to complement our DRAM expertise, particularly in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) segment.”
The introduction of this 4D NAND marks a significant step for SK Hynix in targeting AI-specific applications, especially those necessitating low power consumption. With AI demand skyrocketing, the 321-layer NAND offers significant potential for AI Data Centers dependent on SSDs for rapid data processing.
Launching ahead of competitors, SK Hynix pulls ahead of giants like Samsung and Micron in the race to provide top-tier NAND solutions.
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