China’s leading memory semiconductor company, Yangtze Memory Technologies Company (YMTC), has been reported as successfully developing and mass-producing 232-layer 3D NAND flash. According to South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Oct. 27, semiconductor analyst firm TechInsights revealed in a report on Oct. 25 (local time) that they discovered the 232-layer Quadruple Level Cell (QLC) 3D NAND manufactured by YMTC in the 1 terabyte (TB) consumer solid-state drive (SSD) ZHITAI 600 that was quietly launched last July.
In comparison, SK hynix’s NAND has a maximum layer count of 238 layers. Samsung Electronics hasn’t disclosed its layer count specifically but is rumored to be around 236 layers.
NAND is a memory semiconductor that retains data even when powered off, requiring advanced stacking technology. This stacking involves vertically layering cells to increase data capacity and is a crucial element in NAND’s competitiveness. However, TechInsights did not comment on whether YMTC’s 3D NAND was produced entirely with Chinese equipment or components.
Following the use of China’s largest foundry company, SMIC’s 7-nm process chip in Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro’ smartphone launched last August, it appears that China is overcoming trade sanctions and establishing its own semiconductor supply chain.
Previously, SCMP reported in April that YMTC was planning to produce advanced 3D NAND using domestic equipment amid U.S. sanctions. TechInsights also claimed in November of the previous year that “YMTC produced the world’s first 3D NAND flash with over 200 layers, ahead of Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Micron.”