Samsung is now producing its ninth-generation triple-cell (TLC) vertical NAND memory chips for high-performance, high-density solid-state drives. The new chips boast a smaller size and a 50% improvement in density compared to the previous generation NAND memory.

Besides its smaller size, Samsung’s new V-NAND memory contains several new technologies. In the official blog post, Samsung says it uses cellular interference avoidance and cell life extension to make the memory last longer and work more reliably. Also, the company uses “channel hole engraving to maximize production productivity:

Samsung’s advanced “channel hole engraving” technology showcases the company’s leadership in process capabilities. This technology creates electron tracks by stacking mold layers and maximizes manufacturing productivity as it enables simultaneous drilling of the industry’s highest cell layer count in a double stack structure.

As the number of cell layers increases, the ability to penetrate through higher cell numbers becomes essential, requiring more sophisticated etching techniques.

Samsung’s 9th generation vertical NAND uses the new “Toggle 5.1” NAND flash interface, which improves data I/O speed by 33% to 3.2Gbps. Samsung says it plans to use new memory chips and an interface for high-performance PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Currently, the budget-friendly 990 EVO is Samsung’s only PCIe 5.0 solid state drive.

Finally, technological improvements in Samsung’s new V-NAND memory allowed the company to reduce power consumption by 10%.

Samsung already produces triple-cell V-NAND memory, and production of quad-level cell V-NAND will begin in the second half of 2024.

We are excited to deliver the industry’s first 9th generation V-NAND that will leapfrog future applications. In order to address the evolving needs of NAND flash solutions, Samsung has pushed the boundaries in the cellular architecture and operational plan of our next-generation product.

With our latest V-NAND, Samsung will continue to set the trend for the high-performance, high-density solid-state drive (SSD) market that meets the needs of the next generation of AI.

You can read more about Samsung’s 9th generation V-NAND In a post on the Samsung Newsroom website.