SK Hynix could create 400-layer NAND as soon as 2025

SK Hynix is ​​reportedly preparing to create NAND memories with up to 400 layers as early as next year. The information is not yet official, but comes from supply chain partners needed for the new technology. The plan would be to have the new components by the end of 2025.

To achieve the impressive number of layers, SK Hynix plans to use a new hybrid bonding technology. This would involve a whole new infrastructure, because the method in question requires using new materials and technologies not used in the current process. The company reportedly plans to begin production as soon as the new structure becomes available.

The manufacturer’s current components use the popularly named 4D NAND technology, manufactured in a process known as Peripheral Under Cell (PUC). This technology stacks cells over the circuit area. The downside of this method is that the pressure and heat on this area increases as the number of stacked cells increases.

To go deeper:

The new process to get to 400 layers would involve using a hybrid bonding method called wafer-to-wafer (W2W). The idea is to fabricate the cells and peripherals on separate wafers, and then bond them together into a single component.

SK Hynix in the race for multi-layer NAND

Of course, SK Hynix isn’t the only memory maker racing to deliver NAND memory with staggering layer counts. Kioxia, for example, has already raised the possibility that we could see products surpassing the 1,000-layer mark as early as 2027.

Meanwhile, TechPowerUp mentions other competitors, including Micron and Samsung. According to the site, the South Korean Galaxy maker has started mass production of 290-layer V-NAND products, and also expects to have more than 1,000 layers by 2030.

Micron, in turn, has been producing components with 276 layers since July, using the 3D NAND process, which is a little “older”.