Samsung's QLC 9th gen V-NAND will offer increased storage capacity and performance while remaining power-efficient for AI workloads.
Samsung implements various technologies for mass producing 9th Gen Quad Level Cell V-NAND for AI applications
A few months ago, Samsung started mass producing its first TLC(Triple Level Cell) 9th gen V-NAND, offering a 50% increase in bit density. Today it announced the mass production of the QLC 9th gen V-NAND for delivering high-performance and power-efficient operation for AI applications. The QLC V-NAND is produced through a combination of various technologies, which results in the highest layer count possible at the moment.
The QLC or Quad Level Cell V-NAND introduces Channel Hole Etching, Designed Mold, and Predictive Program to ensure the memory can reach a high density in a compact size while offering better reliability for read and write operations.
The Executive Vice President and Head of Flash Product & Technology, SungHoi Hur said,
Kicking off the successful mass production of QLC 9th-generation V-NAND just four months after the TLC version allows us to offer a full lineup of advanced SSD solutions that address the needs for the AI era,
He also stated Samsung's mission of solidifying its leadership in the storage segment as the enterprise SSD market is seeing rapid growth and the demand for better hardware to run AI applications is increasing. To ensure the company keeps ahead of its rivals, the QLC 9th gen V-NAND will start with branded consumer products, expanding the lineup to UFS, PCs, and Server SSDs.
- Samsung’s Channel Hole Etching technology was used to achieve the highest layer count in the industry with a double-stack structure
- QLC V-NAND boasts an 86% higher density than the previous generation QLC V-NAND
- Adopting Designed Mold improved data retention performance by roughly 20% compared to previous versions, leading to enhanced product reliability.
- Samsung’s QLC 9th-generation V-NAND has doubled write performance and improved data input/output speed by 60% through advancements in this technology.
- Data read and write power consumption decreased by about 30% and 50%, respectively, with the use of Low-power Design technology.
Through Channel Hole Etching, the company can create vertical channels to allow data transfer in stacked V-NAND cells. With this technology, Samsung can deliver a higher layer count compared to previous NAND memories. Also with the Double Stack Structure, the memory layers will be arranged in two separate stacks within the chip, ensuring lower heat generation while the density is increased by 86%.
Next is the Designed Mold technology, which will adjust the spacing of Word Lines and ensure uniformity of cells across layers. This will help the QLC V-NAND achieve consistent and reliable performance, offering almost 20% improvement in data retention. Another technology used is the Predictive Program, which will optimize the way data is written onto NAND cells. This will prevent unnecessary changes through the prediction of the state of the cells during the writing operation, resulting in roughly 60% better performance for both reading and writing data.
Samsung is on its journey to fulfill the demands of the AI market by delivering power-efficient and high-performance NAND but is also expanding its lineup for mobile and computing devices.
News Source: Samsung
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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