Samsung's next-gen 400-layer V-NAND will be able to store more data and will boast higher reliability for advanced storage solutions.
Samsung to increase the memory cells drastically for the next-gen and is aiming for up to 1000 layers in the future, 400-layer V-NAND with vertical bonding coming soon
A month ago, the semiconductor giant Samsung started its mass production of the QLC 9th gen V-NAND, which aims to enhance the performance, storage capacity, and reliability of the next-gen storage solutions. A recent report from the Korean Economic Daily suggests that Samsung has already planned to reach even higher performance with the future V-NAND technology.
The company is said to launch its next-gen V-NAND in 2026. This is the 10th gen V-NAND, which is reportedly going to feature a 400-layer configuration, exceeding the current 9th gen V-NAND by 120 layers. This is a straight 43% layer increase in a single-gen, which is far higher than the gap between the layer count in 8th-gen vs 9th-gen V-NAND (236 vs 280 layers).
To achieve such a high number of layers, Samsung will implement the Bonding Vertical(BV) NAND technology, which will be different from the current CoP(Circuit on Periphery) design. The CoP design has the peripheral circuits on top of the memory stack, while the vertical bonding method will start with separate manufacturing of the storage and peripheral circuits, followed by the vertical bond.
Not only will this help Samsung reach higher capacity, but will also help it reduce circuit damage during the stacking process. It's reported that the vertical bonding will be a method similar to YMTC's Xtacking and Kioxia-Western Digitals' CBA(CMOS Bonded Array). With this method, a nearly 60% higher bit density can be achieved, which will drastically increase the storage capacity of the storage drives in the same space.
Samsung isn't stopping here though. The company plans to reach a thousand layers of V-NAND, but it won't likely happen before 2027. This will most likely be achieved on the 11th-gen V-NAND, marking a solid 2.5X increase in layer count, which will boost the I/O rates by up to 50%.
In the D-RAM department, Samsung is reportedly going to release a faster and better DRAM in 2027. It will be based on the 0a nm(<10nm) technology and will utilize the VCT technology(Vertical Channel Transistor) to increase the memory capacity of the D-RAM modules. With VCT, Samsung will be able to design 3D DRAM by building the transistors vertically, eventually mitigating the interference from the adjacent cells.
The development of the D-RAM will start with the 1c nm based DRAM in 2025, 1d nm DRAM in 2026, and 0a nm D-RAM in 2027.
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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