- Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) and NAND flash partner Micron's (MU) 3D NAND solution enables chips with 384Gb (48GB) of capacity, or 3x that of existing 3D NAND parts. The companies promise "gum stick-sized SSDs with more than 3.5 terabytes of storage and standard 2.5-inch SSDs with greater than 10TB."
- Along with higher densities, Intel/Micron promise lower costs, improved read/write performance, and new sleep modes that cut power to inactive parts of a chip. A 256Gb multi-level cell (MLC) chip is sampling today, while a 384Gb tri-level cell (TLC) chip will sample later this spring. Mass-production is expected by Q4; Intel and Micron both plan to launch SSD lines relying on the chips "within the next year." SA author Electric Phred previously argued Intel/Micron could have a big cost advantage.
- The offerings take aim at Samsung, which has been shipping 3D NAND parts for several months, as well as Toshiba and partner SanDisk (SNDK - fell 18.5% today due to a Q1/2015 warning). Today, Toshiba/SanDisk announced a 48-layer 128Gb 3G NAND solution - the Intel/Micron solution features 32 layers, as do Samsung's current chips. The SanDisk/Toshiba offering relies on an advanced 15nm manufacturing process and is sampling today, but full commercial production isn't expected until 2016.
- Needham's Rajvindra Gill (Strong Buy on Micron) is pleased with today's news. "We think MU’s strategy of optimizing bits per area is the right approach in 3D NAND." At the same time, he notes Samsung's 3D offerings deliver major endurance, performance, and power benefits relative to 2D NAND.
- In other Intel-related news, the WSJ reports HP is close to selling a 51% stake in its H3C Chinese networking hardware unit to Tsinghua Unigroup. With Intel taking a 20% stake in Tsinghua last year as part of a mobile processor alliance, a deal could lead to greater use of Intel's CPUs, network processors, and switching chips within H3C's hardware.
- Intel doesn't separately break out its NAND sales. The business is part of an "All other" reporting segment that had 2014 revenue of $2.25B (+18% Y/Y). After initially falling due to SanDisk's warning, Micron closed up 0.3% today. Intel closed up 0.6%.
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Update: AnandTech estimates the Intel/Micron solution has an array efficiency (the % of the die that's dedicated to memory cells) of 85%, above the 66% and 72% respectively estimated for MLC and TLC Samsung chips. "I now understand why Intel-Micron claim that their 3D NAND technology comes with disruptive cost because it really is the most efficient 3D NAND technology we have seen so far."