Toshiba and Sandisk create 48-layer 256Gbit 3D flash memory

Sandisk and Toshiba have reached another milestone in the development of 3D nandflash called ‘Bics’ with their flash memory joint venture. The companies have successfully scaled up their 48-layer 3D NAND from 128Gbit to 256Gbit TLC.

Toshiba writes this on its site on Tuesday. With the stacked memory, companies want to significantly increase the storage capacity of, among other things, SSDs, while still keeping prices low. The joint venture is lagging behind in development with Samsung, which ships 32-layer 128Gbit TLC and MLC modules. Micron and Intel will release mass-produced 256Gbit MLC and 384Gbit TLC 3D nand modules by the end of this year, and SK Hynix will begin production of 36-layer 128Gbit NAND MLC memory in the third quarter of this year.

The joint venture was announced in May 2014, and earlier this year developed 2bit-per-cell memory of 128Gbit, or 16GB. The first samples of the 256Gbit, or 32GB, 48-layer memory with 3bit per cell should appear in September this year. Real production will only pick up steam after the new Fab2 facility in Yokkaichi, Japan, will be completed in the first half of 2016. The factory will be built specifically for the production of 3d-nand. The previous Fab2 factory was demolished for it in 2014. The first products with the Toshiba/Sandisk memory will not be released until the end of 2016.