Samsung Develops World’s First 900-Layer V-NAND Prototype Chip

Samsung is once again stirring the pot in the industry as it pushes the limits of NAND flash technology. With AI workloads exploding and data demands going through the roof, memory makers are under pressure to deliver larger, faster, and more efficient storage. Now Samsung has developed a 900-layer-class V-NAND prototype.

Samsung moves closer to 1,000-layer NAND with 900-layer prototype chip

Needless to say, it marks a significant leap in storage technology. According to ETNews, the company achieved this using Cell Multi-Bonding, a method that connects two 450-layer cell stacks into a single structure. As a result, this enables higher density while keeping power consumption under control.

Scaling NAND to this level has introduced manufacturing challenges. Higher stacks can lead to wafer warping and alignment issues during production. Samsung addressed these problems with an improved Upper Chuck design and updated overlay correction technology. It also refined bitline and wordline structures to reduce chip size and improve power efficiency.

In the current market, SK Hynix leads in shipping high-layer NAND with its 321-layer products. Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. is also expanding quickly, moving toward 300-layer NAND with strong local support. Competition is increasing, especially as demand rises for AI and data-driven applications. Samsung is working on both fronts, preparing 400-layer NAND for production while advancing higher-layer research.

The 900-layer prototype is still in the research stage, but it shows how NAND scaling is evolving. Instead of relying only on single-stack designs, new bonding techniques are coming into the picture. Samsung’s progress suggests that 1,000-layer NAND is achievable. However, it will take further development before it reaches mass production.