Samsung Electronics has successfully completed the development of its groundbreaking 400-layer NAND technology at its Semiconductor Research Institute. The company has already begun transferring this advanced technology to the mass production line at Plant 1 of its Pyeongtaek campus, a process that started last month. This significant milestone positions Samsung at the forefront of NAND flash technology, as it prepares to compete with industry rivals like SK Hynix, which recently announced the mass production of 321-layer NAND.

Samsung Electronics plans to provide detailed announcements on its 1Tb capacity 400-layer triple-level cell (TLC) NAND at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2025 in the United States in February next year. Mass production of this advanced NAND is expected to commence in the second half of next year, although some industry experts predict that if the process is expedited, production could begin by the end of the second quarter.

In addition to the 400-layer NAND, Samsung Electronics is set to increase the production volume of its advanced product lines next year. The company plans to install new 9th generation (286-layer) production facilities at the Pyeongtaek campus, with a monthly capacity of 30,000 to 40,000 wafers. Furthermore, at its Xi'an plant in China, Samsung will continue converting the 128-layer (V6) NAND line to the 236-layer (V8) product process.

The development of 400-layer NAND represents a significant leap in NAND flash technology, which has evolved from traditional planar (2D) NAND to 3D NAND, introduced by Samsung in 2013. This technology involves stacking memory cells vertically to increase storage density and efficiency. Samsung's introduction of 'triple stack' technology for the 400-layer NAND, which involves stacking memory cells in three layers, marks a notable advancement in the field.

As Samsung Electronics prepares for mass production of its 400-layer NAND, the company is also focused on optimizing wafer yield, which currently stands at 10-20% in the NAND R&D stage. The successful transfer of this technology to the production line will be crucial for achieving higher yields and meeting market demand.