Kioxia Commences Sample Shipments of 9th Generation BiCS FLASH 512 Gb TLC Devices

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced it has commenced sample shipments of 512 Gb Triple-Level Cell (TLC) memory devices incorporating its 9th generation BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory technology. It plans to commence mass production in fiscal year 2025. The devices are designed to support applications requiring high performance and exceptional power efficiency in the low- to mid-level storage capacities. They will also be integrated into Kioxia’s enterprise SSDs, in particular those that aim to maximize GPU efficiency in AI systems.

Kioxia continues to pursue a dual-axis strategy to address the diverse needs of cutting-edge applications while delivering competitive products providing optimal investment efficiency. The two axes are:

• 9th generation BiCS FLASH products: these achieve high performance at reduced production cost by leveraging CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) technology, which integrates existing memory cell technologies with the latest CMOS technology.
• 10th generation BiCS FLASH products: these incorporate an expansion in the number of memory layers to meet the expected future demand for larger-capacity, high-performance solutions.

The new 9th generation BiCS FLASH 512 Gb TLC, developed using a 120-layer stacking process based on 5th generation BiCS FLASH technology and advanced CMOS technology, exhibit significant performance improvements over Kioxia’s existing BiCS FLASH products with the same 512 Gb capacity. These include:

• Write performance: 61% improvement
• Read performance: 12% improvement
• Power efficiency: enhanced by 36% during write operations and 27% during read operations
• Data transfer speed: the Toggle DDR 6.0 interface enables high-speed 3.6 Gb/s NAND interface performance
• Bit density: increased by 8% through advancements in planar scaling

Additionally, Kioxia has confirmed that the 512 Gb TLC operates at NAND interface speeds of up to 4.8 Gb/s under demonstration conditions. The product lineup will be determined in accordance with market demands.

Kioxia is committed to strengthening its global partnerships and pursuing further innovation in order to continue delivering optimal solutions that meet the diverse needs of its customers.