[News] SK hynix Begins Mass Production of World’s First 321-Layer NAND Flash

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South Korean memory giant SK hynix announced that it has started mass production of the world’s first triple-level cell-based 321-high 4D NAND Flash with a 1Tb capacity. The company plans to provide the 321-high products to customers starting in the first half of next year, according to its press release.

This new product represents a significant improvement over the previous generation. According to the press release, it offers a 12% enhancement in data transfer speed and a 13% boost in reading performance, while increasing data reading power efficiency by more than 10%. Furthermore, by adopting the same development platform used for the 238-high NAND, SK hynix improved productivity by 59% compared with the previous generation, minimizing the impact of a process switch.

The technological breakthrough behind this innovation lies in the company’s “three plugs” process technology. The process electrically connects three plugs through an optimized follow-up process after three times of plug processes are completed. For the process, the company developed a low-stress material and introduced technology that automatically corrects misalignments among the plugs, as the press release notes.

According to its press release, this breakthrough enabled SK hynix to successfully stack more than 300 layers, making it the first company in the industry to achieve this milestone.

SK hynix aims to expand the application of its 321-high products to meet the demands of emerging AI technologies. As noted in the press release, the company plans to steadily supply these products to nascent AI applications, which require low power and high performance.

The Head of NAND Development at SK hynix, Jungdal Choi, highlighted the significance of this achievement. According to the press release, Choi stated that this development brings SK hynix closer to becoming the leader in the AI storage market and advancing its goal of becoming a Full Stack AI Memory Provider. The company aims to achieve this by building a comprehensive portfolio in the ultra-high-performance NAND space, complementing its DRAM business led by HBM.

SK hynix has a strong track record of technological leadership in the NAND market. The press release recalls that the company was the first in the industry to introduce the world’s highest 238-layer NAND in June of last year. Now, with the 321-high 4D NAND, SK hynix has solidified its position as the first supplier to produce NAND with more than 300 layers, marking another significant milestone in the industry.

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(Photo credit: SK hynix)