New NAND flash paves the way for super cheap extra large SSDs TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. New NAND flash paves the way for super cheap extra large SSDs By Joel Khalili published 7 August 2022 SK hynix unveils 238-layer 4D NAND flash (Image credit: SK hynix) Audio player loading… SK hynix has developed new 4D NAND flash with a huge 238 layers, paving the way for rapid and capacious new SSDs, the company has announced. Unveiled on stage at Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, the new memory chip is described as the "world's first 238-layer 512Gb TLC 4D NAND" and is expected to enter mass production in the first half of 2023. Compared with the previous 176-layer model, the new NAND is said to offer 50% faster data transfer speeds (at 2.4Gb/sec), 21% greater energy efficiency for data reads and a 34% increase in overall productivity. The arrival of the 238-layer product will see SK hynix snatch the record for world's highest NAND stack from rival manufacturer Micron, whose latest model features a measly 232 layers. 238-layer 4D NAND flash NAND flash is a type of non-volatile memory that features in all kinds of storage devices, from memory cards, USB sticks and portable drives to SSDs for servers and client devices. The general trend in NAND flash development is towards a reduction in cost per capacity and an increase storage density, effectively eliminating the last remaining use cases for traditional hard disk drives. The arrival of the 238-layer product from SK hynix marks another step in this journey. Unlike other NAND products on the market, the latest chips in the company's range feature a "4D" architecture, whereby the logic circuits are placed beneath the storage cells. SK hynix says this design allows for a "smaller cell area per unit, leading to higher production efficiency".Read more> SK Hynix's $9 billion acquisition of Intel's NAND unit gets full approval (opens in new tab) > These are the best external hard drives out there right now (opens in new tab) > NAND and cells: SLC, QLC, TLC and MLC explained (opens in new tab) "SK hynix secured global top-tier competitiveness in perspective of cost, performance and quality by introducing the 238-layer product based on its 4D NAND technologies," said Jungdal Choi, Head of NAND Development at SK hynix. Perhaps contrary to expectation, the new 238-layer NAND will first make its way to client devices, which will give content creators and PC gamers cause for excitement. Only later will the new chip come to smartphones and high-capacity servers. SK hynix also revealed it is developing a 1Tb 238-layer product, which will double the storage density of the latest chip when it arrives next year. "We will continue innovations to find breakthroughs in technological challenges," added Choi.These are the largest SSDs and HDDs on the market right now Via Blocks and Files (opens in new tab) Joel KhaliliNews and Features EditorJoel Khalili is the News and Features Editor at TechRadar Pro, covering cybersecurity, data privacy, cloud, AI, blockchain, internet infrastructure, 5G, data storage and computing. He's responsible for curating our news content, as well as commissioning and producing features on the technologies that are transforming the way the world does business. See more Storage news Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to theTechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1You may not have to sell a body part to afford the Nvidia RTX 4090 after all2One of the world's most popular programming languages is coming to Linux3The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me4Stop saying Mario doesn't have an accent in The Super Mario Bros. Movie5Google Pixel Tablet is what Apple should've done ages ago1Logitech's latest webcam and headset want to relieve your work day frustrations2Best offers on Laptops for Education – this festive season3Apple October launches: the new devices we might see this month4Are you a gamer running Windows 11? Here's Microsoft's advice to speed up games5Google's AI editing tricks are making Photoshop irrelevant for most people Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)