Samsung Develops 900-Layer NAND Prototype

According to Korean media outlet ETnews, Samsung Electronics has achieved the world’s first 900-layer V-NAND prototype, marking a significant step toward the era of 1,000-layer NAND and strengthening its competitive position in the global memory chip market.

According to the report, Samsung recently implemented a “Cell-to-Matrix Bonding (CMB)” technology to build the 900-layer V-NAND integrated structure by connecting two 450-layer wafers into a single system. This ultra-high stacking approach significantly increases storage density while reducing power consumption, making it increasingly suitable for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.

NAND Flash memory is a core component in AI servers, smartphones, and data center solid-state drives (SSDs). As layer counts increase, NAND devices can store more data within the same chip footprint, improving overall efficiency and performance. High-capacity, high-efficiency storage is becoming a key enabler for AI server infrastructure and edge AI devices.

In the current competitive landscape, SK hynix leads the mass-production market with its 321-layer 4D NAND, which has achieved strong yield performance. Meanwhile, Samsung is preparing to mass-produce its 10th-generation V-NAND (V10) with more than 400 layers this year, while also demonstrating rapid progress in next-generation research reaching the 900-layer level—strengthening its long-term technology roadmap.

Samsung Electronics stated that the research results “validate stable device operation characteristics,” emphasizing that the achievement goes beyond theoretical stacking and demonstrates practical feasibility for advanced manufacturing.

Since commercializing the world’s first 3D V-NAND in 2013, Samsung has continuously refined its process technology to overcome scaling limitations. Earlier approaches relied on single-step stacking and drilling processes, but as layer counts increased, manufacturers faced structural challenges such as wafer warping and misalignment.

To address these issues, Samsung introduced an advanced upper-chuck design to reduce wafer deformation during the 900-layer stacking process. In addition, alignment errors during bonding were corrected using proprietary overlay correction technology. The adoption of new bitline (BL) and wordline (WL) architectures also contributed to lower power consumption and improved chip area efficiency.

In the global memory market, Chinese manufacturers are rapidly closing the gap, with 300-layer NAND entering mass production and production capacity continuing to expand. This intensifies price competition in the NAND sector and increases pressure on established players. Against this backdrop, Samsung’s 900-layer breakthrough is viewed as a strategic move to reinforce its long-term technological leadership.

Industry observers note that 900-layer NAND is not merely an incremental upgrade over 300-layer technology, but a fundamental shift in 3D NAND scaling methodology. It sends a clear signal that Samsung intends to maintain its position at the forefront of memory innovation while defending against increasing global competition in both performance and pricing.