Chinese microchip manufacturer Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) has just unveiled its latest creation, a next-generation microchip that is expected to push China's agenda of reducing the dependence of its semiconductor sector on foreign products and to strengthen the sector as a whole. On Monday, the company unveiled its new 128-layer flash memory chip called the X2-6070.
The new flash memory 3D NAND chip, a type of non-volatile memory chip, had just passed a sample verification using solid-state drives before the unveiling. According to the company, the X2-6070 by far has the highest capacity among all of the other 3D NAND flash memory products that are commercially available in the market today.
YMTC senior vice-president of marketing and sales, Grace Gong, mentioned in a statement that the milestone achievement was only made possible through the company seamless collaboration with its global partners and the efforts of its engineers and employees.
The executive added that the new product should open up new opportunities for the company including the establishment of a new business ecosystem. The company hopes the new will bring mutually beneficial results for everyone involved.
The chip, which is also being referred to as the Xtacking 2.0, was developed through the use of the company's in-house chip architecture called the Xtacking. The platform was also the basis for the company's existing high-end 64-layer flash memory chips, which went into mass production last year.
The upgraded version, hence the 2.0 moniker, more than doubles the capacity of YMTC's existing product. The engineering and technical upgrades applied to the new products present many benefits that the company plans to capitalize on to bolster existing drives and computers.
YMTC plans to first integrate its new 128-layer flash memory chip to consumer-grade solid-state drives, which is easily achievable through a collaborative effort with its international partners. Once the company gets a foothold on the particular segment, it then plans to integrate the product into enterprise-class servers and data centers. YMTC is banking on the rapid adoption of new 5G network technologies and artificial intelligence to boost the demand for its product in the coming years.
YMTC's parent company, Chinese semiconductor giant Tsinghua Unigroup, had established the microchip unit intending to reduce China's heavy reliance on foreign semiconductors. With YMTC's ability to supply domestically manufactured flash memory chips, China will become less reliant on imports from countries such as the United States and South Korea. At the same time, the capability is expected to push China further into its goal of becoming a global leader in the segment.
