Pointers at Glance
- SK Hynix has developed a new 4D NAND flash with huge 238 layers that paves the way for super cheap, extra large SSDs.
- The arrival of this product will see the company snatch the record for the world’s highest NAND stack.
The company has announced that SK Hynix has developed a new 4D NAND flash with a large 238 layers, paving the path for rapid and extensive new SSDs.
The new NAND offers 50% faster data transfer speeds (at 2.4Gb/sec), 21% greater energy efficiency for data reads and a 34% increase in overall productivity compared with the previous 176-layer model.
The arrival of the 238-layer product will see SK Hynix snatch the record for the world’s highest NAND stack from rival manufacturer Micron, whose latest model features a measly 232 layers.
238-Layer 4D NAND Flash
NAND flash is a type of non-volatile memory used in all kinds of storage devices, from memory cards, USB sticks and portable drives to SSDs for servers and client devices.
The general trend in NAND flash development is towards reducing cost per capacity and increasing storage density, effectively eliminating the remaining use cases for traditional hard disk drives. Launching the 238-layer product from SK Hynix marks another step in this journey.
SK Hynix states that this design allows for a “smaller cell area per unit, leading to higher production efficiency.”
Jungdal Choi, Head of NAND Development at SK Hynix, said that SK Hynix secured global top-tier competitiveness in the perspective of cost, quality and performance by introducing the 238-layer product based on its 4D NAND technologies.
The new 238-layer NAND will first make its way to client devices, giving content creators and PC gamers cause for excitement. The new chip will come to smartphones and high-capacity servers only later.
SK Hynix also revealed that it is developing a 1Tb 238-layer product that will double the storage density of the new chip when it launches next year. Choi added that they would continue innovations to find breakthroughs in technological challenges.
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