Prospect of Flash Memory Devices in the AI Era
In this presentation, I will introduce the current status and future prospect of Flash memory devices, including NAND and NOR Flash memories. Both NAND and NOR technologies have evolved into 3D architectures and will continue to deliver higher memory capacities in a single die. For NAND Flash, beyond its traditional roles in storage devices such as eMMC, UFS, and SSDs, it is poised to complement DRAM in generative AI applications, such as key/value cache offloading. High-IOPS SSDs utilizing fast NAND will play a critical role in vector search and predictive AI workloads. Meeting diverse requirements—including high bandwidth, low latency, high IOPS, and endurance—new SSD designs will demand advanced engineering techniques. In the case of NOR Flash, besides the conventional SPI NOR used for system boot codes, the technology is advancing toward higher bandwidth and 3D NOR architectures. Lastly, cutting-edge 3D IC packaging methods and copper hybrid bonding techniques are enabling innovative design approaches that enhance performance and enable efficient integration with CMOS technologies.
Key Technologies Covered
- NAND and NOR Flash
- High-Bandwidth, High IOPS, High Endurance SSD’s
- 3D NOR
- Flash memory Chiplets