China’s YMTC makes world’s most advanced memory chip in ‘surprise technology leap’: TechInsights report

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China’s YMTC makes world’s most advanced memory chip in ‘surprise technology leap’: TechInsights report​

• YMTC advance follows on from TechInsights analysis of Kirin 9000S 5G chip found in Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro smartphone released in August
• YMTC memory chip, found in a solid-state drive, shows firm has continued to develop advanced technology despite being hampered by sanctions

YMTC has made surprise tech breakthrough with memory chip, says TechInsights. Photo: Handout

Dylan Buttsin Hong KongandChe Panin Beijing
Published: 8:45pm, 26 Oct, 2023

Yangtze Memory Technologies Co (YMTC), China’s leading memory chip producer, has manufactured the “world’s most advanced” 3D NAND memory chip known to be in a consumer device in a “surprise technology leap”, according to a report by TechInights.

YMTC’s memory chip, found in a solid-state drive launched quietly in July, shows that the manufacturer has continued to develop advanced technology despite being hampered by sanctions after it was placed on the US Commerce Department’s Entity List, according to a Wednesday report by the semiconductor analysis firm.

The development follows an earlier teardown analysis by TechInsights of the Kirin 9000S 5G processor found in US-blacklisted Huawei Technologies’ Mate 60 Pro smartphone released in August, which was said to be made by Chinese foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC). The powerful home-grown chip surprised many industry analysts given the tough US restrictions in place.

“Like the innovation revealed by TechInsights in the Huawei Mate 60 Pro’s HiSilicon Kirin 9000s processor (which used the SMIC 7-nm (N+2) process), evidence is mounting that China’s momentum to overcome trade restrictions and build its own domestic semiconductor supply chain is more successful than expected,” said TechInsights in its report.

3D NAND memory is at the forefront of memory chip design and is an important component for high-performance computing in applications such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.

YMTC and 21 other “major” Chinese players in the chip sector were added to the US Entity List in mid-December 2022 amid escalating trade and geopolitical tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

At the time, the Wuhan-based chip manufacturer had been on track to challenge memory chip leaders Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology with a new flagship 3D NAND flash chip, the 232-layer X3-9070. Prospects for mass production of this chip faltered after US equipment suppliers KLA and Lam Research stopped sales and services to YMTC.

However, a recent downturn in the memory chip market and a renewed focus on cost-saving measures in the industry, may have provided YMTC with an opportunity to pull ahead with a more advanced, higher-bit density chip, according to TechInsights.

YMTC’s latest progress in memory chip advancement was first reported in April when unnamed sources told the South China Morning Post that YMTC had doubled down on efforts to work with Chinese suppliers to help manufacture its most advanced chips. This effort was based on YMTC’s “Xtacking 3.0” architecture and the sources said progress had been made in a top-secret project code-named Wudangshan.

Sources said that the project intended to use Chinese equipment only and that YMTC had placed big orders with domestic equipment suppliers, including Beijing-based Naura Technology Group, a leading Chinese maker of etching tools, which are also the primary product line of US-based Lam Research.

However, at the time, analysts flagged many outstanding choke points in China’s chip manufacturing supply chain, such as the lack of viable domestic Chinese alternatives for chip-making tools, such as lithography systems available from Dutch company ASML Holding. The Dutch firm has a near monopoly position in the production of the world’s most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines.

TechInsights did not comment in its report on whether YMTC’s memory chips are thought to have been produced with exclusively Chinese-manufactured tools and components.

On Wednesday, Bloomberg released a report citing unnamed sources that said SMIC had used retooled equipment from ASML, specifically its deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems, to manufacture the advanced processor in the landmark Huawei smartphone.

The DUV process – when producing at scale – is estimated to be more expensive than using more advanced EUV lithography systems, which ASML has been prohibited from selling to China since 2019.

However, stricter curbs on ASML’s sales to China are coming. From January 2024, the company will be prohibited from selling its 2000-series DUV machines to China under The Hague’s latest restrictions.

While recent chip breakthroughs in China have stirred domestic excitement about the country’s progress in making home-grown advanced chips, some experts caution that Chinese firms still remain years behind in producing the lithography systems needed to make real progress.

China’s YMTC makes world’s most advanced memory chip: TechInsights report

China’s leading memory chip producer, Yangtze Memory Technologies Co, has manufactured the ‘world’s most advanced’ 3D NAND memory chip, according to TechInsights.

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China Does It Again: A NAND Memory Market First​

26 Oct, 2023

TechInsights has discovered the world’s most advanced 3D NAND memory chip in a consumer device, and in a surprise technology leap, it comes from YMTC – China’s top 3D NAND manufacturer. 3D NAND memory is an essential component for high-performance computing (HPC) such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning. 3D NAND memory represents the bleeding edge of memory chip design, and is critical for high-performance, high-bandwidth computing such as AI. This is the first quad-level cell (QLC) 3D NAND die with more than two hundred active word lines that TechInsights has seen.

The 232-layer QLC 3D NAND die manufactured by YMTC (Figure 1), was found in the ZhiTai Ti600 1TB solid state drive (SSD) which was launched in July 2023 without much fanfare (Figure 2 and Figure 3). This new QLC die has the highest bit density seen in a commercially available NAND product at 19.8 Gb/mm2.

Key takeaways from this discovery include:

• YMTC proved again the merits of the Xtacking Hybrid Bonding technology they developed for 3D NAND TLC and QLC applications. BSSC technology adopted for Xtacking3.0 232L realized yield and performance improvements, and cost reduction as well.
• YMTC is quietly developing advanced technology despite being hampered by issues following sanctions including limiting the company from supplying parts to Apple for China-based iPhones and being placed on the United States’ entity list.
• The recent memory downturn, as well as many memory manufacturers focused on cost saving measures, may have provided YMTC an opportunity to pull ahead with its higher bit density 3D Xtacking NAND.
• This discovery usurps Micron and Intel (Solidigm) who are also developing 232-layer QLC 3D NAND devices. It should be noted that Samsung is not developing QLC on its 236-layer (V8) 3D NAND because its current strategy is to focus on the V9 3D NAND TLC and QLC. However, at Samsung’s Memory Tech Day last week, the company announced the first QLC product targeting the mobile market, a 512GB UFS 3.1 product with 176-layers (V7) technology. SK Hynix is mostly focused on TLC devices rather than QLC products.
• Like the innovation revealed by TechInsights in the Huawei Mate 60 Pro’s HiSilicon Kirin 9000s processor (which used SMIC 7nm (N+2) process) evidence is mounting that China’s momentum to overcome trade restrictions and build its own domestic semiconductor supply chain is more successful than expected.

China Does It Again: A NAND Memory Market First - EE Times Asia

China Does It Again A NAND Memory Market First Platform Login Start My Free Trial TechInsights has discovered the world’s most advanced 3D NAND memory chip in a consumer device, and in a surprise technology leap, it comes from YMTC – China’s top 3D NAND manufacturer. 3D NAND memory is an...

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China's YMTC makes world's most advanced memory chip in 'surprise technology leap': TechInsights report​

Thu, October 26, 2023 at 5:30 PM GMT+8

Yangtze Memory Technologies Co (YMTC), China's leading memory chip producer, has manufactured the "world's most advanced" 3D NAND memory chip known to be in a consumer device in a "surprise technology leap", according to a report by TechInights.

YMTC's memory chip, found in a solid-state drive launched quietly in July, shows that the manufacturer has continued to develop advanced technology despite being hampered by sanctions after it was placed on the US Commerce Department's Entity List, according to a Wednesday report by the semiconductor analysis firm.

The development follows an earlier teardown analysis by TechInsights of the Kirin 9000S 5G processor found in US-blacklisted Huawei Technologies' Mate 60 Pro smartphone released in August, which was said to be made by Chinese foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC). The powerful home-grown chip surprised many industry analysts given the tough US restrictions in place.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

"Like the innovation revealed by TechInsights in the Huawei Mate 60 Pro's HiSilicon Kirin 9000s processor (which used the SMIC 7-nm (N+2) process), evidence is mounting that China's momentum to overcome trade restrictions and build its own domestic semiconductor supply chain is more successful than expected," said TechInsights in its report.

3D NAND memory is at the forefront of memory chip design and is an important component for high-performance computing in applications such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.

YMTC and 21 other "major" Chinese players in the chip sector were added to the US Entity List in mid-December 2022 amid escalating trade and geopolitical tensions between the world's two largest economies.

At the time, the Wuhan-based chip manufacturer had been on track to challenge memory chip leaders Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology with a new flagship 3D NAND flash chip, the 232-layer X3-9070. Prospects for mass production of this chip faltered after US equipment suppliers KLA and Lam Research stopped sales and services to YMTC.

However, a recent downturn in the memory chip market and a renewed focus on cost-saving measures in the industry, may have provided YMTC with an opportunity to pull ahead with a more advanced, higher-bit density chip, according to TechInsights.

YMTC's latest progress in memory chip advancement was first reported in April when unnamed sources told the South China Morning Post that YMTC had doubled down on efforts to work with Chinese suppliers to help manufacture its most advanced chips. This effort was based on YMTC's "Xtacking 3.0" architecture and the sources said progress had been made in a top-secret project code-named Wudangshan.

Sources said that the project intended to use Chinese equipment only and that YMTC had placed big orders with domestic equipment suppliers, including Beijing-based Naura Technology Group, a leading Chinese maker of etching tools, which are also the primary product line of US-based Lam Research.

However, at the time, analysts flagged many outstanding choke points in China's chip manufacturing supply chain, such as the lack of viable domestic Chinese alternatives for chip-making tools, such as lithography systems available from Dutch company ASML Holding. The Dutch firm has a near monopoly position in the production of the world's most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines.

TechInsights did not comment in its report on whether YMTC's memory chips are thought to have been produced with exclusively Chinese-manufactured tools and components.

On Wednesday, Bloomberg released a report citing unnamed sources that said SMIC had used retooled equipment from ASML, specifically its deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems, to manufacture the advanced processor in the landmark Huawei smartphone.

The DUV process - when producing at scale - is estimated to be more expensive than using more advanced EUV lithography systems, which ASML has been prohibited from selling to China since 2019.

However, stricter curbs on ASML's sales to China are coming. From January 2024, the company will be prohibited from selling its 2000-series DUV machines to China under The Hague's latest restrictions.

While recent chip breakthroughs in China have stirred domestic excitement about the country's progress in making home-grown advanced chips, some experts caution that Chinese firms still remain years behind in producing the lithography systems needed to make real progress.

China's YMTC makes world's most advanced memory chip in 'surprise technology leap': TechInsights report

Yangtze Memory Technologies Co (YMTC), China's leading memory chip producer, has manufactured the "world's most advanced" 3D NAND memory chip known to be in a consumer device in a "surprise technology leap", according to a report by TechInights. YMTC's memory chip, found in a solid-state drive...

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