SK Hynix begins mass production of 321-layer QLC NAND flash, plans to enter AI data center market next year

SK Hynix begins mass production of 321-layer QLC NAND flash, plans to enter AI data center market next year

Title: SK Hynix Begins Mass Production of 321-Layer QLC NAND Flash, Targeting AI Data Center Market

SK Hynix Inc. has completed the development and begun mass production of its 321-layer 2Tb QLC NAND flash product, marking a significant milestone in NAND density. This achievement sets a new benchmark in the industry, with SK Hynix being the first to implement more than 300 layers using QLC technology [1].

The company plans to release the product in the first half of next year following completion of global customer validation. SK Hynix has developed a 2Tb device with double the capacity of existing solutions and increased the number of planes from 4 to 6 to address potential performance degradation in large-capacity NAND. This enhancement enables greater parallel processing and significantly improves simultaneous read performance [1].

The 321-layer QLC NAND delivers both higher capacity and improved performance compared to previous QLC products. Data transfer speed has doubled, write performance has improved by up to 56%, and read performance has improved by 18%. Additionally, write power efficiency has increased by more than 23%, which is crucial for AI data centers where low power consumption is vital [1].

SK Hynix intends to apply its 321-layer NAND first to PC SSDs before expanding to enterprise SSDs (eSSDs) for data centers and UFS for smartphones. Leveraging its proprietary 32DP technology, which enables the simultaneous stacking of 32 NAND dies in one package, SK Hynix aims to enter the ultra-high-capacity eSSD market for AI servers by achieving twice the integration density [1].

According to Jeong Woopyo, Head of NAND Development, "With the start of mass production, we have significantly strengthened our high-capacity product portfolio and secured cost competitiveness. We will make a major leap forward as a full-stack AI memory provider, in line with the explosive growth in AI demand and high-performance requirements in the data center market" [1].

SK Hynix Inc., headquartered in Korea, is a leading semiconductor supplier offering DRAM and NAND flash chips for various industries globally. The company's shares are traded on the Korea Exchange, and its Global Depository shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange [1].

References
[1] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sk-hynix-begins-mass-production-of-321-layer-qlc-nand-flash-302537234.html