GoKawiil
Tech News
Micron announced its next-generation G11 3D NAND will enter mass production in the second half of 2027, roughly doubling bit density versus its current G9 generation while boosting I/O speeds by up to 50% and cutting per-bit data transfer energy by more than 25%. CTO Scott DeBoer said G11 will adopt wafer-on-wafer bonding technology, a manufacturing approach previously used by YMTC, exceeding 400 layers.
SK hynix's Solidigm unit is reportedly linking a proposed 3D NAND fab investment in the U.S. to Washington approving more equipment export licenses for its Dalian, China facility. The Dalian plant, which makes 192-layer NAND for Solidigm's data-center SSDs, relies on U.S. toolmakers Applied Materials, KLA and Lam Research, whose shipments need government licenses. The Commerce Department approved limited 2026 shipments last December but has not yet authorized exports for 2027, according to Reuters.
Micron has filed a lawsuit against China's YMTC, claiming the company recruited former Micron engineers who then patented inventions closely mirroring work they did at Micron. Micron alleges these employees left citing personal reasons, kept their new roles off LinkedIn, and were bound by confidentiality agreements they broke, and that YMTC later used the resulting patents to accuse Micron of infringement in multiple jurisdictions.
A Munich Regional Court ruled on September 18 that Micron infringed two YMTC utility model patents covering 3D NAND technology, granting injunctions with 10-year protection terms. Three other related cases in the same filing were adjourned. Micron says it disputes the ruling and has filed an appeal to the Munich Higher Regional Court.
According to Reuters sources, Chinese DRAM maker CXMT is considering building an experimental 3D NAND production line at its planned second facility near Beijing, which has yet to break ground. The company has also set up a Beijing research institute reportedly working on NAND flash development, and has discussed potential NAND supply with at least one prospective customer targeting AI storage products. CXMT has not officially confirmed any of these NAND ambitions.
Modern flash storage relies on NAND memory cells that trap electrical charge, with newer 3D NAND designs stacking cells vertically and packing multiple bits per cell to boost capacity while lowering cost per gigabyte. These improvements have made flash ideal for SSDs and portable devices, since it lacks the moving parts of hard drives, giving lower latency and better durability. However, flash remains fundamentally different from RAM, serving as persistent storage rather than the fast temporary memory a system needs while running.