Samsung Electronics, a global leader in advanced memory technology, has announced the start of mass production of its ninth-generation V-NAND with four-level cell (QLC) technology of one terabit (Tb). This milestone marks a before and after in the storage device industry, promising to transform the landscape of SSD and other technological devices in the era of artificial intelligence.
A quantum leap in density and performance
The new Samsung V9 QLC V-NAND represents a significant advancement in storage technology:
Unprecedented density: Samsung has achieved the industry’s highest bit density, approximately 86% higher than the previous generation of V-NAND QLC.
Performance improvement: Write speed has doubled, while data input/output speed has improved by 60%.
Energy efficiency: Power consumption in reading and writing has decreased by approximately 30% and 50% respectively.
Innovative technologies behind the success
Samsung has implemented four key technologies to achieve these advancements:
Channel Hole Etching: Enables reaching the industry’s highest number of layers with a double stack structure.
Designed Mold: Improves data retention performance by approximately 20% compared to previous versions.
Predictive Program: Anticipates and controls cell state changes to minimize unnecessary actions.
Low-Power Design: Reduces the voltage that drives the NAND cells and minimizes power consumption.
Impact on the industry and future applications
SungHoi Hur, Executive Vice President and Head of Flash Products and Technology at Samsung Electronics, stated: “The successful start of mass production of V-NAND V9 QLC just four months after the TLC version allows us to offer a complete line of advanced SSD solutions that address the needs of the AI era.”
Samsung plans to expand the applications of V-NAND V9 QLC, starting with branded consumer products and extending to mobile universal flash storage (UFS), PCs, and SSDs for servers, including cloud service providers.
Future prospects
With the enterprise SSD market showing rapid growth driven by AI application demand, Samsung is poised to consolidate its leadership in the segment through its V-NAND V9 QLC and TLC.
This new generation of storage technology promises not only to significantly increase capacity but also improve device speed and efficiency, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of digital storage in the era of artificial intelligence.