NAND Flash Storage Industry 2021 Review

This is a blog post was written by Sean Yang, software engineer, Phison Electronics Corp. published on December 20, 2021.

2021 Year in Review: NAND flash Storage Industry

This year has seen many developments in NAND Flash technology, including news and milestones that prove it is one of the most significant storage technologies of our time.

Here are some of the important ups – and downs – that may continue to impact the industry in 2022.
 
More layers
Manufacturers have been working on scaling for more than 10 years with layered or stacked NAND, and the race to deliver 3D NAND has been exciting to watch.

In 2013, 24 layers was a remarkable achievement, but in 2021, 3D NAND took leaps forward. Kioxia and Western Digital announced 162-layer NAND in February, followed by Micron’s announcement of the world’s first 176-layer NAND, boasting high performance, design flexibility and low power consumption.
 
More PCIe performance
In 2021, the transition to PCIe Gen4 was in full swing, while some manufacturers were already looking toward 2022 by making IP breakthroughs in Gen5. At 32GT/s, data rate specs for PCIe Gen5 are twice Gen4 (16GT/s), enabling either double the overall performance, or offering similar performance using half as many lanes as PCIe Gen4. In September 2021, Phison announced it would begin shipping Gen5 platforms to partners so they can start product development around these superior specs – and lead their respective categories in Gen5.
 
Read: Phison Enters High Speed IC Market – Solves Motherboard Compatibility Problems Caused by PCIe 5.0 High-Speed Interface

More NVMe
A host of commercial products have been introduced based on NVMe SSDs, from desktops for gaming to enterprise storage for AI/ML. About 80% of client/consumer and 50% of enterprise SSDs are now NVMe, and these numbers are growing. Hyperscalers like Facebook are building ultra-efficient data centers using NVMe technology. Increasing adoption of NVMe-oF are enabling enterprises to provision very high-performance, low-latency storage networks with flash devices shared among servers. NVMe-oF is for workloads like AI/ML, scientific computing, analytics, streaming, and others that demand sustained performance.
 
More security
The rise of ransomware and other cyberattacks has put pressure on storage and protection technologies to beef up device security, and NAND is no exception. In January 2021, Phison unveiled secure SSDs with FIPS 140-2 Certification, and others followed. Hardware-based encryption increasingly makes sense, and in May, Cigent unveiled the world’s first line of self-defending storage devices with built-in cybersecurity to protect vs. ransomware, data theft, and malicious attack. Cigent’s secure SSDs make it virtually impossible for critical data and applications to be accessed by unauthorized sources.
 
Read: Data at Rest Protection for Corporate Security and Why FIPS 140-2/-3 Validation Matters

More endurance
Enterprise-grade SSDs are optimized for longer life than consumer-grade, but a large underserved market emerged for individuals engaged in highly write-intensive applications like content creation, animation, special effects, code compiling, and cryptomining. In May, ScaleFlux updated its Computational Storage Drive (CSD) by adding Micron’s QLC NAND flash, which it says provides endurance similar to TLC and up to 4x other QLC SSDs. Phison developed a collection of Write Intensive SSDs which, in the top-of-the-line configuration, delivered endurance of 2,000 days, likely longer than the lifespan of the PC it’s installed in.
 
More SKintel
The big NAND news of last year was that SK hynix would acquire Intel’s memory and storage business for $9 billion, with regulatory approval expected this year (still waiting on China’s OK). In August 2021, the South Korean chip leader announced this division would become a separate, standalone company based in the US Insiders expect that this move to create a new brand is intended to increase its North American presence and expand its sales and marketing channels, which have primarily been OEMs.
 
More NAND
5G wireless technology is expanding, and driving seemingly unlimited demand for NAND storage. With 5G connecting edge devices to cloud platforms, there is a need for increased capacity and performance in both local and cloud storage resources. 5G automotive technology requires high-speed transmission, as does cloud-based gaming, cloud services such as mobile video streaming. This demand, plus a robust smartphone market, built up a WW appetite for NAND, causing prices to rise. But what goes up must come down, with some analysts predicting that prices should begin to fall and level out in 2022. Micron, on the other hand, expects that NAND shortages will persist into next year. Will consumer demand for smarter technology in mobile devices, cars, and appliances – plus enterprise demand for filling data centers – continue to rise in 2022?
 
Read: The Evolution of Mobile NAND flash Memory Storage