Yangtze Memory gearing up for transition to 128-layer 3D NAND

[cirr]

Yangtze Memory gearing up for transition to 128-layer 3D NAND

Siu Han, Taipei; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES

Wednesday 14 November 2018

China's Yangtze Memory Technology (YMTC) has started delivering samples of its 64-layer 3D NAND chip with volume production likely to kick off in the third quarter of 2019, according to sources familiar with the matter. The company also plans to move directly to the 128-layer generation with volume production scheduled for 2020.

YMTC has no plans to provide 96-layer 3D NAND chips as the company intends to skip the generation and jump directly to 128 layers, the sources noted.

YMTC's in-house developed Xtacking architecture is already adopted in the company's 64-layer 3D NAND engineering samples. Xtacking enables YMTC's 64-layer 3D NAND to be competitive with the available 96-layer 3D NAND solutions, the sources continued.

YMTC CEO Simon Yang was quoted in previous reports that the company is set to enter volume production of 64-layer 3D NAND flash memory in the fourth quarter of 2019. Yang added YMTC's 32-layer 3D NAND process technology is pretty mature and has been involved in production for small-volume orders.

The roll-out of 64-layer 3D NAND process technology will enable YMTC's product gross margin to turn positive from negative, said Yang, adding that the company expects its monthly production capacity to hit 100,000 wafers after moving 64-layer 3D NAND technology to volume production.

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Wuhan, YMTC is invested jointly by Tsinghua Unigroup, China's National IC Industry Investment Fund and Hubei Local IC Funds. YMTC developed its first 3D NAND flash chip in 2017.

https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20181114PD206.html

 

[艹艹艹]

太好啦

 

[cirr]

The firms in question could face up to 8 billion USD fine for antitrust violations.

Chipmaker probe continues apace

2018-11-16 13:14:56

chinadaily.com.cn Editor : Li Yan

China's top antitrust authority said on Friday it has already made "important" progress in its probe into three dominant chipmakers, including Samsung, over possible price fixing.

Wu Zhenguo, director of the anti-monopoly bureau under the State Administration for Market Regulation, said the agency has obtained and screened evidence from relevant companies and their downstream partners.

The comments came after the authority started an investigation in May on possible price-fixing behavior by South Korea's Samsung, SK Hynix, and US-based Micron over the last few years.

The next step is how to define the case itself, how to address their market dominance as well as the companies' relevant practices, Wu said at a press briefing.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2018-11-16/detail-ifyzwcft9467768.shtml

 

[Fawadqasim1]

a step in right direction china needs to reduce its reliance on taiwan and south Korea etc in this regard.

 

[JSCh]

Tsinghua and Longsys team up for NAND flash
Siu Han, Taipei; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES
Friday 16 November 2018

Tsinghua Unigroup has signed a strategic alliance with memory module firm Shenzhen Longsys Electronics in a move to accelerate its ambition in the NAND flash sector.

The agreement was struck in Beijing, China recently, according to sources familiar with the matter. The pair will partner to promote flash storage solutions utilizing NAND flash chips manufactured by Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) according to the deal.

Longsys specializes in the manufacture of flash-based storage devices including SSDs on an OEM or ODM basis. Longsys also sells its Foresee-branded embedded storage devices, and has run the Lexar retail brand previously owned by Micron Technology since 2017.

Partnering with Longsys will make Tsinghua Unigroup's NAND flash ambition a leap forward, the sources believe. Tsinghua Unigroup has been aggressively developing its memory-chip business and in the NAND flash sector, its subsidiary YMTC is set to enter volume production of chips built using its in-house developed 3D NAND flash process later in 2018.

Tsinghua Unigroup will source chips also from Intel according to an agreement reached between the two earlier in 2018, the sources noted. Before YMTC is capable of commercially producing 3D NAND flash chips and scaling up its output with mature yields, Tsinghua Unigroup will be sourcing a certain amount of chips from Intel in its flash storage devices, the sources said.

YMTC is expected to build a close relationship with Longsys after growing its production yield rates to mature and stable levels, the sources continued. YMTC's in-house developed 64-layer 3D NAND flash will be adopted in Longsys' SSD and UFS products.


https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20181116PD210.html

 

[cirr]

China's FULLY indigenous SSD comes into being

完全自主国产固态硬盘——紫光存储已经量产，此次不再上展会上的工程样板，而是批量出货，带有完整的型号名（S5170－256）、CE和FCC认证的成品固态硬盘。

完全自主的含义：

1． 主控芯片自主——采用了国产联芸（MAXIO）主控。
2． NAND Flash自主——采用了国产紫光的颗粒。
3． 固件自主——同样由国产主控企业联芸提供。
4． 生产自主——中国国内生产制造。
5． 设计、技术支持和服务，不用再依赖进口。
6． 还要能用好用——满足客户多元化定制的需求。

此次出货的紫光存储固态硬盘容量为256GB，据知情人士爆料采用了联芸的主控，其中主控固件版本为H190117B。早在18年中，也就是QLC技术初期，联芸即领先全球第一个推出适配QLC颗粒的固态硬盘主控MAS0902A，展现了超凡的自主研发实力，当时的固件版本为H181007。

笔者推测此款固态硬盘的主控依然为MAS0902系列。其中颗粒部分据知情人士爆料采用了紫光的64层 TLC颗粒——消费级颗粒支持1500次擦写寿命（企业级颗粒支持5000次擦写寿命）充分满足各种寿命需求。

"YMTC's in-house developed Xtacking architecture is already adopted in the company's 64-layer 3D NAND engineering samples. Xtacking enables YMTC's 64-layer 3D NAND to be competitive with the available 96-layer 3D NAND solutions".

实测性能暂时未知，但结合我爱存储网此前对联芸MAS0902A的测试来看，连续读写性能应该能达到SATA接口的上限，而随机读写性能考虑到紫光公布的TLC NAND Flash的参数和联芸的优化能力，会比QLC颗粒的性能更好，笔者理论推测能达到65，000 IOPS的读取和85，000 IOPS的写入，在SATAIII接口的固态硬盘里，推测其性能可以达到偏高端的水平，再加上联芸的Smart Cache， 支持大容量动态SLC缓存和实时整理， 应该有非常实用的高性能表现。参考阅读：满盘写入不掉速！国产SSD主控神秘算法详解实测.

此前在不同的展会上曾经展示过联芸MAS0902＋紫光UNIC 3D TLC的方案，但产品一直在调试中，此次我们直接看到了成品的批量出货，而且出货日期是2019年2月份，这说明研发调试工作已经圆满成功。从紫光存储以往的型号命名规则来推测此次量产的S5170－256应该为消费级产品。

值得一提的是，“紫光”集团有较多的子公司，但此次具体出货的公司为“北京紫光存储科技有限公司”应该是紫光集团产业集群中的一个核心布局的企业，成立于2017年08月03日，旗下控／参股了多家子公司。产品主要面向手机、物联网、PC／笔记本电脑、企业数据中心、云计算平台等领域，覆盖消费级到企业级的应用场景。产品形态以NAND颗粒、嵌入式存储（eMCP、UFS、eMMC）、SSD（NVMe和SATAIII）和安全存储（加密U盘）等为主。

从整体布局看，笔者认为 北京紫光存储科技有限公司” 承担着为紫光集团建构下游产业生态链和重任，同时也会大量涉及到横向的资源整合与合作，是紫光集团技术、产品和服务的重要出口。

成品的100％国产化，意味着中国的存储产业已经不再是单个的技术突破，而是产业集群开始运转自如，想想就很兴奋！

 

[艹艹艹]

China's FULLY indigenous SSD comes into being

完全自主国产固态硬盘——紫光存储已经量产，此次不再上展会上的工程样板，而是批量出货，带有完整的型号名（S5170－256）、CE和FCC认证的成品固态硬盘。

完全自主的含义：
1． 主控芯片自主——采用了国产联芸（MAXIO）主控。
2． NAND Flash自主——采用了国产紫光的颗粒。
3． 固件自主——同样由国产主控企业联芸提供。
4． 生产自主——中国国内生产制造。
5． 设计、技术支持和服务，不用再依赖进口。
6． 还要能用好用——满足客户多元化定制的需求。

此次出货的紫光存储固态硬盘容量为256GB，据知情人士爆料采用了联芸的主控，其中主控固件版本为H190117B。早在18年中，也就是QLC技术初期，联芸即领先全球第一个推出适配QLC颗粒的固态硬盘主控MAS0902A，展现了超凡的自主研发实力，当时的固件版本为H181007。

笔者推测此款固态硬盘的主控依然为MAS0902系列。其中颗粒部分据知情人士爆料采用了紫光的64层 TLC颗粒——消费级颗粒支持1500次擦写寿命（企业级颗粒支持5000次擦写寿命）充分满足各种寿命需求。

实测性能暂时未知，但结合我爱存储网此前对联芸MAS0902A的测试来看，连续读写性能应该能达到SATA接口的上限，而随机读写性能考虑到紫光公布的TLC NAND Flash的参数和联芸的优化能力，会比QLC颗粒的性能更好，笔者理论推测能达到65，000 IOPS的读取和85，000 IOPS的写入，在SATAIII接口的固态硬盘里，推测其性能可以达到偏高端的水平，再加上联芸的Smart Cache， 支持大容量动态SLC缓存和实时整理， 应该有非常实用的高性能表现。参考阅读：满盘写入不掉速！国产SSD主控神秘算法详解实测.

此前在不同的展会上曾经展示过联芸MAS0902＋紫光UNIC 3D TLC的方案，但产品一直在调试中，此次我们直接看到了成品的批量出货，而且出货日期是2019年2月份，这说明研发调试工作已经圆满成功。从紫光存储以往的型号命名规则来推测此次量产的S5170－256应该为消费级产品。

值得一提的是，“紫光”集团有较多的子公司，但此次具体出货的公司为“北京紫光存储科技有限公司”应该是紫光集团产业集群中的一个核心布局的企业，成立于2017年08月03日，旗下控／参股了多家子公司。产品主要面向手机、物联网、PC／笔记本电脑、企业数据中心、云计算平台等领域，覆盖消费级到企业级的应用场景。产品形态以NAND颗粒、嵌入式存储（eMCP、UFS、eMMC）、SSD（NVMe和SATAIII）和安全存储（加密U盘）等为主。

从整体布局看，笔者认为 北京紫光存储科技有限公司” 承担着为紫光集团建构下游产业生态链和重任，同时也会大量涉及到横向的资源整合与合作，是紫光集团技术、产品和服务的重要出口。

成品的100％国产化，意味着中国的存储产业已经不再是单个的技术突破，而是产业集群开始运转自如，想想就很兴奋！

 

[kankan326]

Samsung doesn't have bright future. Challenges from Chinese companies come from all directions.
display screen----BOE
phone----Huawei
memory-----YMTC
solid state disc----Tsinghua Unis
semiconductor manufacture----SMIC

 

[艹艹艹]

UNIC S100-480G