Samsung Unveils 400-Layer NAND Breakthrough
Samsung Electronics has successfully developed its groundbreaking 400-layer NAND flash technology at its semiconductor research facility. In November, the company began transitioning this advanced technology to the production line at its Pyeongtaek P1 plant, marking a significant milestone in NAND flash development. With this achievement, Samsung positions itself at the forefront of NAND flash technology, ready to compete with industry rivals, such as SK hynix, which recently announced the mass production of its 321-layer NAND.
The company plans to unveil more details about its 1TB capacity 400-layer Triple-Level Cell (TLC) NAND at the 2025 International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in the United States, scheduled for February. Full-scale production of this cutting-edge NAND is expected to begin in the second half of next year, although industry experts predict that, if the process is accelerated, production could start as early as the end of Q2.
In addition to the 400-layer NAND, Samsung is set to increase the production of its advanced NAND products next year. The company plans to install new 9th-generation (286-layer) production facilities at its Pyeongtaek campus, with a monthly wafer output capacity of 30,000 to 40,000 units. Furthermore, Samsung’s Xian facility will continue to upgrade its 128-layer (V6) NAND production line to the new 236-layer (V8) technology.
The development of the 400-layer NAND represents a major leap in NAND flash technology, transitioning from traditional 2D NAND to advanced 3D NAND. This technology involves vertically stacked memory cells, which significantly increase storage density and efficiency. Samsung has introduced a new “triple stacking” method, which stacks memory cells into three layers, marking a major advancement in the field.
Currently, Samsung holds a dominant 36.9% market share of the global NAND flash market. Its efforts to maintain this leadership come amid intense competition from SK hynix, which led the industry by achieving the mass production of 238-layer products in 2023, and more recently, began the mass production of 321-layer NAND.
The NAND flash market is influenced by a variety of factors, including consumer demand, price trends, and the rise of data-intensive applications such as artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers. The surge in AI-driven demand has led to increased NAND sales for data centers. However, the fixed transaction price of 128Gb Multi-Level Cell (MLC) products saw a significant 29.8% decrease in November, with an average price of $2.16. According to TrendForce, while NAND prices are expected to fall by 3% to 8% in Q4, enterprise-grade solid-state drives (SSDs) are anticipated to see price increases of up to 5%.
As Samsung prepares for mass production of its 400-layer NAND, it is also focusing on optimizing wafer yield. Currently, yield during the R&D phase of NAND development stands at just 10% to 20%. Successfully transferring this technology to the production line is crucial for achieving higher yields and meeting market demand.
