Monthly Memory & Flash Market Watch

Kioxia and Sandisk sample world's densest 3D NAND — new 332-Layer beats Samsung’s 400-Layer NAND

• The 2 firms are shifting the NAND competition from a "layer-count race" to a density, performance, and AI-storage optimization strategy, with BiCS10 establishing a new benchmark for enterprise flash technology. BiCS10 is positioned mainly for enterprise and hyperscale data centers, while BiCS9 will continue serving mainstream client SSD markets.

Technology Highlights

• Achieves industry-leading areal density exceeding 29 Gb/mm², surpassing Samsung's latest 400+ layer V-NAND in storage density despite having fewer layer.

• Delivers up to 4,800 MT/s interface speed, supporting next-generation PCIe 5.0/6.0 enterprise SSDs.

• Provides approximately 59% higher bit density than BiCS8, enabling larger SSD capacities and lower cost per bit over time.

SK hynix at center of AI-driven memory crunch as capacity hits zero, prompting customers to fund fabs and EUV tools to secure supply

• SK hynix has become a central bottleneck in the AI-driven memory supply chain, with its available capacity effectively fully booked due to surging demand for HBM, DRAM, and NAND. In response, major tech customers are offering to fund new fabs and even purchase costly EUV lithography equipment to secure long-term supply, moving far beyond traditional procurement models. However, SK hynix remains cautious, as accepting such arrangements could limit its pricing power and strategic flexibility in an extremely tight, supplier-driven market.