SK Hynix Introduces 238-Layer NAND Flash for Mobile and PC

On June 8, SK Hynix announced that it has commenced the mass production of 238-layer 4D NAND flash memory and is currently undergoing product validation with overseas client companies involved in smartphone manufacturing. Previously, in August last year, SK Hynix successfully developed the world's highest-density 238-layer NAND flash memory.

SK Hynix emphasized that with the foundation of the 238-layer NAND flash memory, the company has successfully developed client SSD (Solid State Drive) solutions for smartphones and PCs, and mass production started in May. The company ensures world-class competitiveness in terms of cost, performance, and quality for both 176-layer and 238-layer products. It is expected that these products will contribute to improving the company's performance in the second half of the year.

As the world's smallest chip in terms of volume, the 238-layer NAND flash memory has improved production efficiency by 34% compared to the previous generation of 176 layers, resulting in significantly enhanced cost competitiveness. The data transfer speed of this product is 2.4 Gb per second, which is 50% faster than the previous generation. It also improves read and write performance by approximately 20%, which gives the company confidence in delivering higher performance to smartphone and PC customers using this product.

After completing the validation process with client companies in the smartphone sector, SK Hynix plans to initially supply the 238-layer NAND flash memory for mobile devices, and subsequently expand its applications to PCIe 5.0-based PC solid-state drives (SSDs) and high-capacity solid-state drives for data centers.

PCIe 5.0, which stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, is a serial interface specification developed for high-speed input and output data. PCIe 5.0 offers twice the bandwidth of PCIe 4.0 (32GT/s or 32 gigatransfers per second).

Mr. Jin Chan-Su, Vice President of SK Hynix responsible for the 238-layer NAND, stated, "The company will continue to push the boundaries of NAND flash memory technology and strengthen its competitiveness, anticipating a major breakthrough in the upcoming market rebound cycle."