Yangtze Memory Technologies officially launched its 128-layer TLC/QLC flash memory chips, boasting leading core specifications and a confirmed mass-production timeline.

As the domestic epidemic situation stabilizes, Wuhan—the “epicenter”—has also officially lifted its lockdown recently. Yangtze Memory Technologies... 70 After the lockdown ends, what kind of image will Yu Tian present to the world? 128 Layer 3D NAND Should it be postponed? 10 Can the monthly production capacity of 10,000 units be delivered as scheduled?

    Facing industry chain attention, Yangtze Memory. 4 Moon 13 Two heavyweight releases today 128 Layer 3D NAND The products are as follows: with a capacity of 1.33Tb of the 128 Layer QLC 3D NAND Flash memory and capacity: 512Gb of the 128 Layer TLC 3D NAND Flash memory, among which, 128 Layer QLC This product is the industry’s first single-chip solution released to date. Die Capacity reaches 1.33Tb of the NAND The flash memory boasts superior capacity and performance compared to its major competitors, and both products have been validated by leading controller manufacturers. In addition, we’ve addressed the issues that have drawn external attention.

Changjiang Storage X2-6070 128L QLC 1.33Tb NAND Flash
Source: Yangtze Memory Technologies

    The industry’s highest storage density, the highest I/O Transmission speed, single unit Die Maximum capacity—this one is unsatisfactory. 4 The “newcomer” in storage at age [age] is no ordinary one.

Yangtze Memory 3D NAND All based on Xtacking® Innovative technologies enable an optimized combination of control circuits and storage units, enhancing product performance in terms of storage density, I/O It has relative advantages in both performance and reliability. This latest release... 128 The core innovative technologies adopted in the layered product series Xtacking® Has been fully upgraded to 2.0 , further unleash 3D NAND Flash memory potential.

For Xtacking®2.0 Architecture—Tang Qiang, Co-Chief Technology Officer of Yangtze Memory Technologies, stated that... Xtacking®2.0 The advantages are mainly reflected in three aspects: “One is...” point to Higher I/O the speed, which is currently already in 128 implemented on the layer product; the second is due to Xtacking®2.0 of the CMOS Wafers and array wafers are developed and manufactured separately; therefore, we can... CMOS The wafer design is customized in collaboration with partners; the third option is to leverage... Xtacking® The architecture in CMOS Add extension features that are more beneficial and helpful to the system.

at I/O In terms of read and write performance, both products can... 1.2V VCCQ Achieved under voltage 1.6Gbps Its data transmission rate is currently the highest in the industry. Plus, a single... Die Capacity up to 1.33Tb Yangtze Memory 128 Layer QLC Flash memory products can be said to be ahead of the industry's major competitors, and at the same time, have also demonstrated to the industry that... Xtacking® The forward-looking nature and maturity of the architecture.

Regarding the test results for the two products, Yangtze Memory also stated that it will equip them with Yangtze Memory. QLC 3D NAND of the SATA Install the solid-state drive as the system disk. Win 10 The system underwent a power-on test, and the boot-up speed has been achieved. 12-15s This is a good result for the engineering sample stage.

Gong Yi, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Yangtze Memory Technologies Grace ) indicates “As a newcomer to the flash memory industry, Yangtze Memory has, in just a short period of time...” 3 Over the course of a year, it achieved a transformation from... 32 Layer to 64 Layer by layer 128 The crossing of boundaries. This is both the culmination of the sweat and toil of thousands of enduring individuals and the result of concerted collaboration across the global supply chain—both upstream and downstream. As... Xtacking®2.0 With the arrival of this new era, Yangtze Memory is determined, well-equipped, and fully capable of forging a brand-new business ecosystem that enables our partners to fully leverage their own strengths and achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.  

    Yangtze Memory 128 Layer NAND Flash memory will begin mass production no later than the first half of next year and, once at full capacity, will be coordinated with... 10 A monthly production capacity of 10,000 units will play a crucial role in balancing global supply.  

As is well known, NAND Flash The industry is a highly cyclical sector that is extremely sensitive to supply-demand balance and fiercely competitive in terms of cost. As for the just-passed... 2019 The main production capacity of major original manufacturers has already shifted to... 64/72 Layer NAND Flash Switch to 92/96 Layer stacking NAND Flash According to the Chinese Flash Memory Market ChinaFlashMarket Data, 2019 Yearly global bit Shipment volume compared to 2018 Achieve annually 35% Growth to 3090 hundred million GB 。

Source: China Flash Memory Market ChinaFlashMarket

Currently, Samsung, SK SK Hynix, Kioxia / Western Digital has successively released the latest... 100+ Layer 3D NAND Products. Among them, Samsung last year... 8 The month announced that mass production has begun based on this technology. 250GB SATA SSD , the same year 11 The moon has achieved the sixth generation. 128 Layer 512GB TLC 3D NAND mass production; SK Hynix is in 2019 Year 11 The month's delivery to key customers is based on 128 Layer 1TB 4D NAND engineering samples, and recently announced the launch of the first-based... 128 Layer 1TB TLC 4D NAND Enterprise-grade flash memory Solid-State Drive Kioxia / Western Digital also this year. 1 The month announced a joint effort to develop... 512Gb of the BiCS5 TLC and with 2020 Sample released in the first quarter of the year, and we’re also planning to launch. 112 Layer 1Tb ( 128GB ) TLC and 1.33 Tb QLC Product.

Source: ChinaFlashMarket Organize

Since Micron “split up” with Intel, the two companies have been in a 96... Following the Layer 3D NAND technology and the second-generation 3D XPoint. Technically, each company is heading toward independent development. Recently, Micron also indicated in its second-quarter earnings call that it plans to begin mass production of 128-layer 3D NAND based on a brand-new architecture in the third quarter of this year and start commercial shipments in the fourth quarter—but no specific product details were disclosed. Meanwhile, according to media reports, Intel is planning to launch 144-layer 3D QLC NAND technology this year. Neither company has yet released any official information, making their announcements highly anticipated.

As a rising star, Yangtze Memory has been making strides since last September. The company has successfully achieved mass production of 64-layer 3D NAND. Furthermore, it has become the first domestic storage manufacturer to successfully onboard a customer base. Seven months later, it launched industry-leading 128-layer 3D TLC/QLC NAND Flash, bringing its technology on par with that of mainstream industry players.

Regarding the industry’s keen interest in capacity ramp-up and yield rates, Yangtze Memory Technologies stated that it is still steadily advancing according to its established targets, with expectations reaching 2020. From the end of the year to 2021, monthly production capacity will reach 10. We are steadily advancing toward our goal of mass production. Currently, the yield rate for our 64-layer products in consumer-grade applications has reached the level of mainstream industry manufacturers. In the second half of this year, we will launch eMMC, UFS, and SSD products based on 64-layer 3D NAND. Going forward, we will continue to improve yield rates for enterprise-grade products as well as OEM products for PCs.

In addition, Yangtze Memory further stated that 128 The main mass-production period for the product should be from the end of this year to the first half of next year.

In terms of the app market, Gong Yi introduced: “Changjiang Storage 128” The tiered product series will bring greater value to partners and hold broad prospects for market applications. Among them, the 128-layer QLC version will first be deployed in consumer-grade solid-state drives and will gradually expand into enterprise-level servers, data centers, and other fields, thereby meeting the demands of the future 5G era. — The demand for diversified data storage in the AI era.

This year, under the impact of the pandemic, major OEMs have faced pressure on their financial performance, and they are strategically prioritizing supply to data centers, mobile phones, and... PC OEM The market has led to a tight supply in the channel market. 2019 Although Yangnian’s market share in Changjiang Storage is less than... 1% However, as production capacity gradually increases, it is expected that by... 2021 The year will account for 5% This will effectively balance the global flash memory market supply landscape.

Source: ChinaFlashMarket

In fact, major OEMs have been rushing to take the lead since 2020. The launch of high-capacity storage solutions this year is nothing more than a nod to the 5G boom in 2020. Driven by these trends, the burgeoning demand for high-capacity mobile storage, data centers, and enterprise-level storage—though disrupted earlier this year by the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic—remains on an upward trajectory in the long run. While demand has been postponed, it continues to exist; the overall outlook for the storage market remains positive.

QLC technology, which offers higher storage density and more competitive costs, will shine in read-intensive applications.

As the market’s demand for high-density, large-capacity, and high-performance storage devices continues to grow, major storage manufacturers are sparing no effort to boost the storage density per wafer. In addition to increasing the number of stacked layers in three-dimensional architectures, they are also working to enhance the bit capacity of each memory cell. Storage capacity is also an important area for improvement. As a result, QLC technology—thanks to its larger storage capacity and lower unit cost—is attracting increasing attention from original manufacturers. However, it suffers from poorer stability and shorter P/E cycles. Its lifespan, which is only one percent of that of SLC, has drawn considerable skepticism—and this is also a major factor hindering its widespread adoption.

Source: Internet

As for NAND Flash As research has deepened, it has been discovered that NAND Flash particles experience wear only during write operations, while the wear caused by read applications is negligible. Therefore, QLC... Flash memory products can fully leverage the unique characteristics of NAND Flash—its high density and cost-effectiveness—to gain a distinct advantage in read-intensive applications. Moreover, advancements in controller and error-correction technologies can help mitigate the inherent limitations of QLC.

Among major manufacturers, Intel is focusing on QLC. The technology is being promoted most actively and is now widely used in the 660P series and 665P. In the series and the Optane Memory H10 storage solutions, it is reported that the next-generation 144-layer 3D NAND chip, which is slated for release, will initially adopt the QLC architecture, with the TLC architecture to follow later. Recently, Micron also announced its first QLC-based 5210 SATA SSD, which has already received certification from most major server OEMs.

In addition, Kioxia/ Western Digital also plans to launch a 112-layer 1.33Tb QLC. In terms of products, Samsung has also built a comprehensive product lineup ranging from Z-SSDs to QLC SSDs.

Yangtze Memory closely follows industry trends and is the first to launch a single-die solution. The 1.33TB QLC flash memory product also places great emphasis on QLC. Thanks to their higher storage density and more cost-effective advantages, these technologies hold tremendous market potential in applications that are primarily read-intensive.

For 128 Regarding the cost competitiveness of QLC, Gong Yi stated that QLC... When the 64-layer or 96-layer products were first introduced, their cost advantage wasn't as significant compared to TLC. However, as density increases further, the cost advantage will become even more pronounced.

For major OEMs, 2019 It can be said that progress has been extremely difficult; originally, we had expected to achieve 5G deployment by 2020. With the widespread adoption of [technology/innovation—context needed], server demand has driven shipments. However, the sudden outbreak of the pandemic has disrupted the established rhythm, and profit growth is likely to remain delayed. Moreover, the rapid rise of newcomer Yangtze Memory Technologies, which is rapidly closing in on 100+ advanced process nodes, has further intensified the pressure on major original equipment manufacturers. Nevertheless, for these seasoned OEMs, who have weathered countless challenges, such pressures will ultimately transform into powerful driving forces, enabling them to deliver products with even greater capacity and superior performance to the market.