Micron’s New NAND Chip Could Make SSDs Cheaper
Micron has debuted the latest advancement in flash memory with its 176-layer 3D NAND. The new technology carries the promise of reducing SSD production costs, ultimately making it cheaper for consumers as well.
This is the American tech firm’s fifth generation of NAND flash memory. It plans to replace Micron’s 128-layer and 96-layer offerings.
As per the company’s claims, the 176-layer NAND offers a significantly lower read-write latency, reaches an impressive 1.6 gigatransfers per second, and features a die that is notably smaller — by about 30% — than what we have in the market right now.
Micron‘s NAND technology could pave the way for more affordable SSDs that are faster, capacity-wise bigger, and physically smaller. According to TechRadar, the new Micron NAND chip is also 37% more powerful than its nearest rival Western Digital‘s 112-layer BiCS5.
Also Read: Next Gen. Memory Cards With New Spec Will Be Faster Than SSDs
Apart from the general consumers, those interested in using Micron’s latest tech for datacenter applications have good news as well. This is because the 5th-gen chips are appropriate for handling write-intensive operations.
Moreover, the company has already started volume production of the 176-layer NAND in its Crucial SSD devices. But, it will probably take a year for production to take off as more SSD manufacturers embrace the improved technology.
Eventually, we may expect to see SSDs with bigger storage capacities available for lower prices, thus creating a remarkably cheap entry-point for those looking to switch to an SSD storage option.
