Micron announces 232-layer TLC NAND, now in production in Singapore

(Image source: Micron)

Micron has just announced that it has begun shipping its new next-generation 232-layer TLC NAND.

This is the sixth generation of Micron's 3D NAND technology. The increased number of layers allows Micron to deliver higher-capacity chips.

Specifically, the new 232-layer TLC NAND allows Micron to build its first 1Tbit TLC NAND die. This in turn means that Micron can now manufacture 2TB chip packages by stacking 16 units of its 232-layer NAND dies.

This is crucial because the maximum capacity of high-end devices such as the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro is often limited by the number of packages that can be placed.

Micron is claiming significantly improved performance too. Because the number of planes within the die has been increased from 4 to 6, parallelism has improved, and Micron is claiming 75% improvements in read speeds and double the write speeds over the last-generation 176-layer NAND.

Micron's new 232-layer 3D TLC NAND is currently in volume production at the company's Singapore fab. It is currently being shipped to customers, and its first appearance in the market will be in selected Crucial SSD consumer products.

Earlier this year, both Samsung and SK Hynix shared their plans for 200-plus-layer NAND chips, but Micron's attempt is the first to produce such high capacity NAND in our home ground.

Source: Micron