Kioxia and SanDisk have begun sample shipments of their ninth-generation BiCS FLASH, a NAND flash technology that blends legacy architectures with modern enhancements to create a bridge between the current BiCS8 generation and the forthcoming BiCS10. While BiCS10 is expected to deliver higher capacities through a cutting-edge 332-layer design, BiCS9 takes a more cost-optimized approach, targeting enterprise SSDs built for AI workloads and mid-tier storage solutions where efficiency and performance balance are key.
What sets BiCS9 apart is its hybrid construction, achieved through CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) technology. In this process, the logic and memory cell wafers are fabricated separately under optimized conditions before being bonded into a single, high-performance package. This innovation allows Kioxia to mix and match mature cell structures—such as a 112-layer BiCS5 or a 218-layer BiCS8—with a modern I/O interface. The result is a chip capable of delivering Toggle DDR 6.0 speeds of up to 3.6 Gb/s, with peak speeds reaching 4.8 Gb/s under controlled testing conditions.
