SK Hynix Gains Technological Superiority In The “NAND Flash” Segment, Coming In For Samsung’s Dominance

SK Hynix is coming for Samsung’s throne in the NAND flash markets, as it is reported that the firm has now gained superiority in “cell stacking” technology.

SK Hynix’s Newest “321-Layer” NAND Flash Chips Pledges To Bring In Significant Boost In Performance, Credits To Additional Cell Layers

For those unaware, SK Hynix has given Samsung quite a fight in the HBM market. Although a relatively “small-scale” company, SK Hynix has overtaken Samsung when securing orders for AI giants like NVIDIA in the HBM segment. According to a report by BusinessKorea, SK Hynix has overtaken Samsung in NAND tech superiority, as the firm reveals the successful development of the world’s first 321-layer NAND flash, marking a huge milestone for the company.

SK Hynix’s newest 321-layer NAND chip pledges to bring in significant performance uplifts in the markets, offering 12% higher data transfer speeds, 13% improved read performance, and over 10% higher power efficiency, which certainly puts the flash technology at the top of the list. The South Korean giant has revealed that with its newest NAND chip, it has managed to increase the layer count by 35% over its predecessor technology and, interestingly, has surpassed Samsung in an area dominated by them for years now.

It is revealed that after this announcement, Samsung has been rather worried about SK Hynix’s progress in the markets since the firm is known as the “pioneer” in vertically stacking cells, increasing the layer count massively. But with SK Hynix potentially getting a lead here, it seems like Samsung’s dominance in the NAND segment may be challenged here. Tech superiority isn’t the only thing that matters here, and we’ll discuss why ahead.

If Samsung Electronics allows SK Hynix to catch up in NAND flash following DRAM and HBM, it will be a triple blow, and the symbolism for the industry will be significant,” and “Although Samsung Electronics’ sales share is currently overwhelming, the gap can quickly narrow based on SK Hynix’s strong performance in the growing eSSD market.

– via BusinessKorea

While it is certainly surprising for SK Hynix to get a lead in the NAND segment here, it is important to note that having efficient NAND production lines is as important, and given Samsung’s reputation in this segment, well it will be difficult for SK Hynix to catch up. However, Samsung’s sluggish performance, coupled with failures to bring in new clients, has given SK Hynix a massive gap to fill here, which the firm has managed to do pretty adequately.

It will be interesting to see how SK Hynix and Samsung’s rivalry evolves in the markets, since it is not only a matter of business but also culture, given that both companies are also involved in the race to show dominance in South Korean markets.