Samsung expands 64-layer 256Gb V-NAND line-up
Samsung Electronics has expanded the availability of its 64-layer, 256-Gigabit, 3-bit V-NAND from solid-state drives to include mobiles and PCs, the company has announced.
The fourth-generation V-NAND will account for over 50 percent of all NANDs produced per month within the year, the South Korean tech giant said.
Samsung began supplying 64-layer 256Gb V-NAND based SSDs to enterprise clients in January. It will now supply the SSDs for consumers, and memory card and embedded Universal Flash Storage for mobile.
Rivals such as Toshiba are also preparing to supply 64-layer V-NAND, while SK Hynix, which currently supplies 48 layers, will begin supplying 72 layers later this year.
Samsung said its latest NAND boasts a 30 percent increase in data transfer speed and energy efficiency compared to its 48-layered predecessor.
The company said it has also acquired the core technology to increase the number of layers further.
Three-dimensional vertical NANDs have become the de facto industry standard, as stacking the cells allows for higher memory capacity than scaling down the die.
Samsung was the first to make 3D NANDs when it began production of 24-layer 128Gb multi-layer cell (MLC) 3D V-NAND in July 2013. The firm said it has acquired over 500 patents in the technology from 15 years of research.
Its dominating position in NANDs has allowed the South Korean tech giant to reap record profits from its memory chip business.