SK Hynix announces SSDs with 72-layer 3D Nand memory

SK Hynix has announced that it is coming with SSDs with 72-layer 3D Nand memory based on a 512Gb chip. These include SATA SSDs with a maximum storage capacity of 4TB, which are mainly intended for data centers and servers.

The ssds with dies of 512Gb are available for both the sata interface and the pci-e interface. For the sata interface, sequential read and write speeds of 560MB/s and 515MB/s respectively. The random read is 98,000 iops and the random write is 32,000 iops.

The PCI-e variant will have a storage capacity of ‘more than 1TB’, with sequential read and write speeds of 2,700MB/s and 1,100MB/s respectively. The random read is 230,000 iops and the random write is 35,000 iops.

The new SSDs are about TLC Nand memory. The SSDs are currently being tested in data centers in the US. The manufacturer has not disclosed prices or said when they will be available.

This is now the fourth generation 3d-nand from Hynix, with the capacity per die being doubled from 256Gb to 512Gb. The dies are thirty percent smaller than those of the third generation, which allows the manufacturer to save costs by getting more dies from a wafer.

The manufacturer has also said it will come with its own firmware and controllers, which would make it “vertical integrated” like competitors like Samsung, allowing it to create a complete SSD in its own silicon, without relying on third-party controllers.

SK Hynix’s competitors such as Samsung, Flash Forward and IMFT are developing 64-layer nands, while Western Digital and Toshiba will begin production of 96-layer nands this year.