China’s flash memory giant, Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC), has made a small technology leap in its chip design architecture, thanks to closer ties with domestic chip tool providers, despite Washington’s efforts to slow the country’s semiconductor progress, according to a teardown report from Canadian research firm TechInsights.
A 512-Gb triple-level cell (TLC) memory chip, containing 160 active layers, was found inside a solid-state drive (SSD) under the name ZhiTai TiPlus, a consumer brand of YMTC. The chip adopted the latest design structure, called Xtacking4.0, according to TechInsights.
It means that YMTC has narrowed the gap with advanced products in the market in terms of “bit density” due to the hybrid wafer bonding structure and other improvements, TechInsights analyst Jeongdong Choe said in the report. “The bit density looks very advanced compared to quad-level cells’ (QLC) chips,” Choe noted.
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NAND, ubiquitous in smartphones and other consumer electronics, is a non-volatile flash memory that can hold data even when not connected to a power source.
The memory industry has pivoted to multiple-level cells to reduce cost and increase capacity. TLC NAND stores 3 bits per cell and often performs better and lasts longer than QLC SSDs, but TLC NAND stores less data and costs more.
YMTC’s 3D flash memory chip. Photo: Handout alt=YMTC’s 3D flash memory chip. Photo: Handout>
YMTC plans to combine Xtacking4.0 technology using more than 200 layers, according to TechInsights.
However, YMTC has been the target of US export restrictions, meaning it cannot upgrade its 3D NAND wafer fabs with advanced semiconductor equipment and tools from foreign suppliers.
“With the new Xtacking4.0 technology, YMTC seems to [have found] a way to overcome the ban for a while,” the note added.
YMTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
The latest chip design is a sign that YMTC still faces challenges from tough US sanctions even as it pursues closer ties with domestic tool makers, including Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment and Naura Technology Group, in a bid to maintain servicing for its installed foreign fab tools.
China’s top memory chip maker has seen a surge in demand for its flash memory products, which have become a top choice for local clients, particularly those working on government and military-related projects.
As the Wuhan-based company continues to achieve breakthroughs in cutting-edge products, it has become a favoured supplier for government-related projects in China, the Post reported previously.
Despite the progress, YMTC still relies largely on imported tools made by US companies such as Lam Research and Dutch firm ASML.
Without servicing provided by the foreign companies, its production has experienced delays. YMTC’s Wuhan plant earlier this year halted production because of a machine failure, forcing the company to scramble for spare parts from other fabs.
YMTC plans to combine Xtacking4.0 technology using more than 200 layers, according to TechInsights. Photo: Shutterstock Images alt=YMTC plans to combine Xtacking4.0 technology using more than 200 layers, according to TechInsights. Photo: Shutterstock Images>
In 2023, YMTC launched an ambitious programme called Wudangshan, in which it aimed to produce advanced 3D NAND chips with domestically procured equipment only.
However, the effort failed to deliver the intended outcomes and is currently idle, according to professionals familiar with the matter, who declined to be named.
Founded in 2016, YMTC was a latecomer to the global flash memory industry, but it has quickly narrowed technology gaps with peers and at one point was reportedly being considered by Apple as a potential supplier.
YMTC surprised the industry in 2022, when TechInsights said the Chinese company had produced a “232-layer NAND flash”, an advancement that at the time put it ahead of global giants such as Micron Technology, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
Two weeks after that report came out, Washington added YMTC to its export blacklist over national security concerns, despite the company saying it made efforts to comply with on-site US inspections.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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