One of the problems with all NAND flash memory is the cost of storage, this is in part affected by the number of chips each manufacturer can make per wafer, so technology that increases production is welcome. .
In addition, the demand for this type of storage will increase a lot in 2021, since on the one hand we have the new generation consoles that no longer come with hard disks but with solid disks or SSDs using this type of memory. On the other hand, games that recommend an SSD drive are also starting to appear on PC, and games that are going to need it are imminent, which will lead to increased demand and with it increased production.
That is why the concern of NVMe memory manufacturers is not only to get more storage capacity in their chips, but also achieve a higher level of production to reach as many devices as possible and that’s where 176-layer NAND Flash comes in.
SK Hynix announces production of its first 176-layer NVMe chip
From SK Hynix, they announced production of the first NVMe memory chip built with its 176-layer technology it’s a chip 3D NAND of 512 gigabits, 64 GB, which makes use of TLC technology and what SK Hynix will sell as part of its product line 4D NAND Flashincluding 176 NAND Flash layers is the third generation.
The first change that emerges is that with the passage from 96 layers to 176 layers, it is that production per unit is up 35%Due to the higher number of chips per wafer, this will allow more devices to use third generation 4D NAND Flash memory than second generation memories.
But not only the productivity has been improved, but also the data transfer speed, which has been increased 20% compared to the previous generation in terms of reading and 33% in terms of transfer speed
To achieve this, SK Hynix divided each memory cell into two halves in order to reduce drag and reduce memory access time.
When will SK Hynix’s first 176-layer NAND Flash SSDs appear?
The first products launched by SK Hynix will be solutions for mobile devices, so we will see this kind of memory both in PostPC devices and in laptops. These devices will see their read speed improved by 70% and their write speed by up to 35%, which towill appear on the market in mid-2021.
Later, SK Hynix plans to launch products based on its 176-layer NAND Flash memory for consumer and commercial markets.
They also announced that they thought make 1 Terabit chips, 128 GB, capacity. Hopefully all of this will translate to a reduction in the cost per gigabyte of SSD.
