Micron Announces 16nm TLC NAND For Consumer Applications – Computex 2015 Update

Micron Technology, a world-leading producer of NAND flash memory, is announcing the latest addition to its flash storage lineup – 16nm TLC NAND designed for use in cost-sensitive consumer products such as USB flash drives, media cards and consumer solid state drives (SSDs). This newest TLC NAND being built on Micron’s 16nm process provides an excellent balance of capacity, performance and reliability. It is anticipated that market demand for TLC NAND will be strong for the rest of 2015, comprising nearly 50% of total gigabytes of NAND shipped.

Micron’s 16nm process was acknowledged by TechInsights as the Most Innovative Memory Device and Semiconductor of the Year. This is now a mature and proven technology, providing an excellent basis for a dependable TLC design. TLC (triple-level cell) NAND is a technology that fits three bits in each flash cell, resulting in greater cost efficiency and a smaller footprint. TLC enable the same capacity as MLC NAND using 28% less die area.

According to Kevin Kilbuck, Micron’s director of NAND planning, “Our new TLC NAND technology meets the ever-rising demand for reliable high-capacity storage. We see 16nm TLC as an excellent solution for 2015 consumer applications as we drive toward 3D NAND TLC production in 2016.”

Customers of the 16nm TLC technology receive the benefits of Micron’s extensive design and support teams, who act as the customers’ trusted advisors to ensure qualification and best possible end-solution performance. Adoption of Micron’s new 16nm TLC NAND is growing quickly, with key flash customers and ecosystem partners around the world already beginning work in integrating this new NAND into their most recent designs.

This latest 16nm TLC NAND part augments Micron’s already extensive portfolio of flash solutions, spanning four process generations and multiple technologies, providing the ability to create a focused solution for just about any imaginable application – including enterprise, mobile, consumer, embedded and automotive. Micron has been sampling the new 16GB TLC NAND with a number of partners. It is in production and available now. This will enable consumer-grade SSDs based on the 16nm TLC NAND coming to market as early as this fall. Micron also plans on creating their own TLC-based consumer SSD sometime within that same timeframe. You can view the Micron press release announcing the new 16nm TLC NAND in its entirety here.