Samsung has a new NAND that will enable the company to make even larger SSDs. Dubbed the Samsung V9 QLC V-NAND, the new generation comes with a host of features, including channel hole etching allowing for a higher layer count.
Samsung V9 QLC V-NAND Goes into Production
Here are Samsung’s claims of the new features of its V9 QLC V-NAND:
- Samsung’s unrivaled Channel Hole Etching technology was used to achieve the highest layer count in the industry with a double stack structure. Utilizing the technological expertise gained from the TLC 9th-generation V-NAND, the area of the cells and the peripheral circuits have been optimized, achieving an industry-leading bit density approximately 86% higher than that of the previous generation QLC V-NAND.
- Designed Mold technology adjusts the spacing of Word Lines (WL), which operate the cells, to ensure uniformity and optimization of cell characteristics across and within layers. These traits have become increasingly important as the V-NAND layer counts increase. Adopting Designed Mold has improved data retention performance by roughly 20% compared to previous versions, leading to enhanced product reliability
- Predictive Program technology anticipates and controls cell state changes to minimize unnecessary actions. Samsung’s QLC 9th-generation V-NAND has doubled write performance and improved data input/output speed by 60% through advancements to this technology.
- Data read and write power consumption decreased by about 30% and 50% respectively, with the use of Low-Power Design This method reduces the voltage that drives NAND cells and minimizes power consumption by sensing only the necessary bit lines (BL). (Source: Samsung)
The big question is whether this gets us to 122.88TB or 128TB NVMe SSDs faster, and what will be the performance and cost impact of the new capacities.
Final Words
The new Samsung V9 QLC V-NAND will go into devices for clients, but the company also said that it will go into server products. With the rise of AI clusters, huge QLC SSDs have become fashionable. We recently looked at how the Samsung BM1743 128TB NVMe SSD is Made and a big enabler is QLC.
