According to SK hynix, the stacking of more than 300 layers comes as a result of the adoption of the "3 plugs" process technology. The process "electrically connects three plugs through an optimized follow-up process after three times of plug processes are finished. For the process, SK hynix developed a low-stress material, while introducing the technology that automatically corrects alignments among the plugs."

The new 321-high NAND will bring an improvement of 12 percent in data transfer speed and 13 percent in reading performance, compared with the previous generation, as well as an increase in power efficiency by more than 10%. The process also improves productivity by 59 percent.

Jungdal Choi, Head of NAND Development at SK hynix, said that the latest development brings the company a step closer to the leadership of the AI storage market represented by SSD for AI data centers and on-device AI. "SK hynix is on track to advancing to the Full Stack AI Memory Provider by adding a perfect portfolio in the ultra-high performance NAND space on top of the DRAM business led by HBM."