Samsung newest QLC NAND could make SSDs cheaper and more storage dense

Samsung kickstarts mass production on their 280-layer 9th generation QLC V-NAND

Samsung has announced that it has started mass-producing new 280-layer QLC NAND flash chips using its 9th-generation V-NAND technology. These chips are 1 Terabit (Tb) in size and 86% denser than Samsung’s last-generation QLC V-NAND.

With these new chips, Samsung can deliver more data capacity per silicon wafer. This makes these new chips cheaper to produce on a cost/bit basis, which could allow Samsung to create cheaper or more storage-dense SSDs. Compared to Micron’s 232-layer QLC NAND, Samsung’s new NAND is reportedly 50% more storage-dense.

Samsung claims that its new 9th-generation QLC NAND is more reliable and performant than its last-generation NAND. Data retention performance is said to have increased by 20%. Additionally, data input/output speeds have increased by 60%. Power consumption has also been dramatically increased.

Kicking off the successful mass production of QLC 9th-generation V-NAND just four months after the TLC version allows us to offer a full lineup of advanced SSD solutions that address the needs for the AI era,

As the enterprise SSD market shows rapid growth with stronger demand for AI applications, we will continue to solidify our leadership in the segment through our QLC and TLC 9th-generation V-NAND.

– SungHoi Hur, Executive Vice President and Head of Flash Product & Technology at Samsung Electronics

With mass production of this 3D NAND only just starting, it is unknown when we will see it in a shipping product. It will undoubtedly be used to create higher-capacity enterprise-grade SSDs for the server market. That said, it could make its way into more consumer-oriented SSDs in time.

You can join the discussion on Samsung mass producing its 9th Gen QLC NAND on the OC3D Forums.