SK Hynix 72-Layer 3D NAND Flash Goes into Production

Memory manufacturer SK Hynix made an announcement three months ago introducing the world to 72-layer 3D NAND Flash technology. This is the company’s 4th generation 3D NAND flash and now they have confirmed that they have started mass production. SK Hynix is focusing their business on NAND flash memories followed by markets for DRAM and they certainly have prepared groundwork to lead in this sector. These new 72-layer 256Gb 3D NAND will be used in upcoming solid state drives and eMMC for mobile devices very soon, considering they have already achieved “golden yield” in just under three months from announcement. In comparison, their rival Samsung took 10 months from their announcement of their 4th gen 64-layer 3D NAND flash before mass production.

SK Hynix Gets More Competitive

The project took close to a year longer to develop than Samsung’s 4th generation 3D NAND. However, Vice Chairman Park Sung-wook pushed for an early mass-production schedule instead to compensate. The past three months did not pass easy as the initial yield forecast fell short of 50%. So it took countless nights for the engineering and management team to match Samsung’s yield. Now morale is flying high within the company once again after the success. In addition, their solution product with an internally developed controller and firmware passed certifications. This is another breakthrough for SK Hynix, who purchased and used controllers from other business in the past. The move to internalized controller and firmware will certainly have a positive effect on profitability.