Seasoned digital hardware enthusiasts know that a critical indicator for measuring flash memory chips is the number of stacking layers.
Flash memory chips consist of multiple storage units stacked together to form a multi-layer structure. This arrangement allows for higher storage capacity while also reducing the size of each storage unit, thereby shrinking the overall size of the flash memory chip.
Therefore, the number of manufacturing layers of flash memory chips significantly determines the storage capacity and performance of the finished product. Generally, the more layers there are, the smaller each storage unit is, the higher the storage density, the larger the storage capacity, and the higher the performance, including faster read and write speeds.
In summary, major flash memory chip manufacturers around the world are competitively increasing the number of manufacturing layers of their products, offering comprehensive advantages in a highly competitive industry.
The overall development pace is very fast, with the latest mainstream manufacturing processes evolving from 96 layers, 128 layers, and 176 layers, to the newest 232 layers. The 232-layer process has matured and entered the stage of mass production for commercial use.
One might wonder what the next process node, which is nearing maturity and about to be utilized, is. The answer is 280 layers.
In February this year, the annual International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), a highly influential event in the field, will be held. Major flash memory manufacturers, including Samsung, will reveal their latest advancements and plans. Samsung, for instance, disclosed its upcoming next-generation QLC NAND V9 process technology, which boasts a storage density of 28.5Gb per square millimeter.
For comparison, SK Hynix’s 176-layer QLC flash memory chip has a storage density of 14.40 per square millimeter, Western Digital’s (which has acquired SanDisk) 162-layer QLC flash memory chip has a storage density of 13.86 per square millimeter, and Micron’s 232-layer QLC flash memory chip has a storage density of 19.50 per square millimeter.
From this data, it is evident that Samsung’s new QLC flash memory chip has a significantly higher storage density than all of its competitors, 46.2% higher than Micron’s, nearly a 50% lead, positioning it as the industry leader in data density.
However, data storage density is just one of the important indicators for measuring flash manufacturing processes. Another key indicator is performance. How does Samsung’s V9 QLC flash memory chip perform?
It is reported to have a top speed of 3.2 Gbps, compared to the company’s highest-performing QLC’s top speed of 2.4 Gbps, representing a 33% improvement, which is not insignificant.
This type of storage chip is mainly targeted at consumer-grade solid-state drives, not enterprise-grade SSDs. It is rumored that Samsung might use these flash memory chips to launch an over 8TB V9 QLC M2 solid-state drive, which is expected to significantly improve overall performance and experience.
Samsung has not yet disclosed when its 280-layer QLC storage chip will officially enter mass production and go on sale. Speculation suggests it might happen in the second half of this year, but there is no official confirmation yet.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that V9 QLC is just one milestone in Samsung’s roadmap for enhancing the design and manufacturing processes of flash memory chips. In the future, Samsung plans to continue improving upon this foundation, and if performance is strong enough, QLC flash memory chips may eventually enter the enterprise-grade SSD market.
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