KIOXIA and Western Digital Unveil Breakthrough 3D Flash Memory Technology with Over 50% Improvement in Bit Density and Faster NAND I/O Speeds

KIOXIA and Western Digital recently released details of their latest 3D flash memory technology. The new 218-layer 3D flash memory uses innovative lateral scaling technology, which brings over a 50% improvement in bit density for 4-plane 1Tb triple-level cell (TLC) and quadruple-level cell (QLC) four-layer storage cells. Its high-speed NAND I/O speed exceeds 3.2GB/s, which is 60% higher than the previous generation product, and it also improves write performance and read latency by more than 20%, accelerating overall performance and availability for users. According to the official introduction, this technology is currently in pre-production.

Through the introduction of various unique processes and architectures, KIOXIA and Western Digital have reduced costs through continuous lateral scaling. The balance between vertical and lateral scaling produces greater capacity in smaller chips while reducing layers, optimizing costs. The two companies have also developed a breakthrough CMOS direct bonding to array (CBA) technology, where the CMOS wafer and the storage cell array wafer are manufactured separately in an optimized state and then bonded together to provide higher gigabyte (GB) density and fast NAND I/O speed.

Alper Ilkbahar, Senior Vice President of Technology and Strategy at Western Digital, said, "The new 3D flash memory demonstrates our strong partnership with KIOXIA and our joint innovation leadership position in the 3D NAND field. Through a common roadmap for research and development and continuous R&D investment, we are able to advance the development of this foundational technology and produce high-performance, high-capital-efficient products."

Masaki Momodomi, Chief Technology Officer at KIOXIA, said, "Through our unique engineering collaboration, we have successfully launched the industry's highest bit density eighth-generation BiCS FLASH™. I am pleased to see that KIOXIA has started shipping samples to some customers. Through CBA technology and scaling innovation, we further advance the product portfolio of 3D flash memory technology in a range of data-centric applications, including smartphones, IoT devices, and data centers."