Samsung Unveils Next-Generation AI Memory Technology

Samsung Electronics has unveiled its V10 Bonding V-NAND (BV-NAND) prototype at this year's Future of Memory and Storage (FMS) conference in Santa Clara, California, as the world's largest memory chip manufacturer pushes deeper into artificial intelligence (AI) memory.

The chip features more than 400 layers and a new wafer-bonding architecture designed to increase storage density and boost performance.

The company said BV-NAND raises memory density by about 58% from its previous V9 NAND, while improving read, write and input/output performance to meet growing demand from AI systems that require higher-capacity and more power-efficient storage.

Demand for high-capacity NAND memory has increased as AI workloads have expanded beyond training large language models to generating answers to user queries. NAND flash memory is used to store data such as photos, videos and applications in devices including smartphones.

Samsung also showed concept models of what it described as the industry's first zHBM and zNAND-O architecture, outlining its vision for next-generation 3D memory that stacks memory cells vertically to pack in more data.

Unlike conventional high-bandwidth memory, which is placed alongside AI processors, Samsung's zHBM stacks memory vertically above AI accelerators to reduce the distance data travels, increasing bandwidth while improving energy efficiency.

Samsung said its wafer-bonding technology could enable more than 10 times the memory density of conventional HBM5 memory, while tripling energy efficiency and cutting thermal resistance by more than half.

While some investors have voiced concern over long-term demand for memory chips once Chinese smartphone demand weakens, analysts have pointed to exceptionally strong AI demand.

That robustness was underlined by Samsung's disclosure last week that long-term agreements with customers could eventually account for 60% to 70% of its memory sales.

Citi analysts said in a note last month that inventories across both DRAM and NAND supply chains remained well below historical levels despite concerns over softening end-market demand.