SK Hynix to make 48-layer NAND in 2016

Memory maker SK Hynix recently kicked off mass production of 20nm-class DRAM chips and said it plans to start volume production of 36-layer 3D NAND flash memory chips towards the end of this year, before starting production of 48-layer products sometime in 2016.

The firm is catching up with Samsung, which started 20nm-class DRAM production in March 2014, and revealed its first mass production 48-layer NAND chip in August 2015.

SK Hynix also announced the development plan for 3D NAND flash products. President Park Sung-wook said, “It is a process to verify a new technology. We are planning to produce a little few 36-layer 3D NAND flash chips by stages this year, and mass produce 48-layer products next year in earnest.”

He said that we should watch next-generation DRAM more. Park said, “New memory will be good, but we are focusing more on extending the merits of existing DRAM and NAND products. Rather than releasing a new memory chip in the market, we are trying to find the way to bring out the good in existing memory chips.”

Soruce: Business Korea