Samsung Electronics is currently dedicated to the R&D of 11nm level DRAM and ninth-generation 3D NAND Flash. The goal is to raise integration to the highest level in the industry, realize its existing plans for mass production, and maintain its technological lead.
According to Samsung and IT Chosun, president & GM of Samsung's Memory Business Division, Jung-bae Lee, recently stated that the 11nm level DRAM currently in development will achieve the highest level of integration in the industry. As for its ninth-generation 3D NAND, it aims to achieve the highest number of layers in the industry with double-stack technology and is scheduled to begin mass production by early 2024.
The memory industry is focusing the competition on NAND with 300 or more layers. In particular, the double-stack technology used by Samsung involves manufacturing NAND in two stages and then combining them.
In comparison, SK Hynix plans to use a triple-stack technology, manufacturing 3D NAND with 120 layers, 110 layers, and 91 layers separately and combining them to create a 321-layer single chip. Samsung's double-stack approach is more efficient in terms of cost and production but it's also more challenging.
Industry sources also noted that Samsung's memory business will rebound in the second half of 2023 after hitting rock bottom in the first half. Additionally, in response to the expected economic upturn in 2024, Samsung is actively investing in R&D. Recently, it successfully developed the industry's highest-capacity 32Gb DDR5 DRAM. The goal is to achieve a 1TB module solution in the future.
Lee stated that Samsung's DRAM business is investing in R&D for 3D stacking structures and new materials. As for the NAND business, it is committed to increasing the number of layers while reducing stack height and minimizing interference between memory cells. To improve the input and output speed (I/O) of 3D NAND, they are preparing to introduce next-gen technology such as new structures.
With the advent of the AI era, the application areas for memory are gradually expanding from the existing domains of computers and mobile devices to data centers.
Samsung believes that besides storage, memory also needs to continue to develop processing functions. It plans to apply technologies like processing-in-memory (PIM) and processing-near-memory (PNM) to products like high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and compute express link (CXL) memory modules to improve data processing capabilities and increase energy efficiency.
Lee emphasized that they will expand the production proportion of high-value-added products and advanced processes. At the same time, they will continue to invest in R&D in response to memory demand for new applications like super-large-scale AI. Additionally, to address issues like high variability in memory demand and long lead times, they will strengthen their memory production line operations.
Samsung plans to hold the "Memory Tech Day 2023" event in Silicon Valley on October 20, 2023, where they will introduce their latest memory technologies, products, and future strategies.
