Kioxia and SanDisk Target 1,000-Layer Era With New 3D NAND Architecture

Kioxia and SanDisk are set to unveil a new 3D flash memory architecture designed to push NAND scaling beyond the 1,000-layer mark, according to DigiTimes. The reported goal is to address the physical and electrical limits that make simple layer-count increases more difficult over time. For the NAND market, the development matters because density gains are central to long-term cost reduction in flash memory. If architectures beyond straightforward stacking become viable, suppliers could extend capacity growth without relying only on adding more vertical layers. That would be important for SSDs, storage systems, and other flash-heavy products. The source excerpt does not include production timing, yields, cost targets, or customer adoption plans, so the near-term pricing impact remains unclear. The strategic signal is stronger: major NAND suppliers are preparing for the technical challenges of the post-1,000-layer generation.