SK hynix begins mass producing world’s first 321-layer NAND Flash

SK hynix unveils the world’s highest 321-layer 1Tb TLC 4D NAND. (SK hynix)

SK hynix Inc. announced Thursday that it began mass production of the world’s highest capacity 4D NAND flash memory.

The chipmaker overcame technological boundaries by becoming the first to develop NAND made up of more than 300 layers. They plan to supply 321-layer products to customers starting in the first half of 2025 to meet market demand.

SK hynix began mass production of the 238-layer 4D NAND flash - the industry’s most advanced at the time - in June 2023. In August of the same year, they unveiled a sample of 321-layer chips, marking the world’s first NAND flash chip made up of more than 300 layers.

The company attributed the breakthrough to an innovative and efficient process, or what is called 3 Plug. By leveraging the platform used for the 238-layer NAND flash, they minimized process changes, resulting in a 59 percent productivity improvement over the previous generation.

The new 321-layer NAND flash offers a 12 percent increase in data transfer speed and a 13 percent improvement in read performance compared to its predecessor. It also delivers a 10 percent boost in power efficiency during data reading, making it both faster and more energy efficient.