SK hynix begins mass production of 321-layer QLC NAND flash

SK hynix Inc. completed development of its 321-layer 2Tb QLC NAND flash product and began mass production, with a commercial launch planned for the first half of 2026. This product represents the first realization of over 300 layers in QLC technology, establishing a new standard in NAND density.

The 2Tb device doubled the capacity of existing offerings and aimed to enhance performance by increasing independent operation units, or planes, within each chip from four to six. This change allowed for greater parallel processing and simultaneous read performance improvements.

The 321-layer QLC NAND product reportedly offers data transfer speeds that are double those of its predecessors, with write performance improved by up to 56% and read performance boosted by 18%. Additionally, write power efficiency increased by more than 23%, addressing the needs of Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers where low power consumption is essential.

SK hynix plans to apply this advanced NAND technology to PC SSDs, expanding to enterprise SSDs for data centers and UFS for smartphones. With its proprietary 32DP technology, which packages 32 NAND dies together, the company aspires to penetrate the ultra-high-capacity eSSD market for AI servers.

Jeong Woopyo, head of NAND Development at SK hynix, stated that the start of mass production considerably strengthens their high-capacity product portfolio while providing cost advantages. He emphasized the company's aim to align with increasing demand for AI solutions and high-performance needs in the data center sector.