Kioxia and Sandisk 332-Layer BiCS10 QLC NAND Reaches 4. 8Gb/s and 60% Higher Density
Kioxia and Sandisk have detailed a QLC version of their tenth-generation BiCS flash technology. The 332-layer design reaches more than 37Gb/mm² and is claimed to provide as much as 60% greater bit density than the companies’ eighth-generation NAND.
Kioxia and Sandisk have detailed a QLC version of their tenth-generation BiCS flash technology. The 332-layer design reaches more than 37Gb/mm² and is claimed to provide as much as 60% greater bit density than the companies’ eighth-generation NAND. QLC stores four bits per memory cell, providing greater capacity per wafer than TLC at the cost of more difficult voltage-state management, lower native write performance and reduced endurance. Controller firmware, error correction and caching will therefore remain essential in complete SSDs. BiCS10 uses CMOS directly Bonded to Array. Logic circuits and the NAND array are produced on different wafers, then joined through wafer-to-wafer bonding. This removes peripheral circuitry from underneath or beside the memory array and lets each wafer use a more appropriate manufacturing process. The interface reaches 4. 8Gb/s through Toggle DDR 6. 0 and a Separate Command Address protocol. SCA prevents command and address signaling from consuming the same path used for data, allowing the high-speed interface to be used more effectively. The companies have not published die capacity, page size, endurance or volume-production timing for the newly announced QLC component. Those specifications will determine whether it first appears in enterprise capacity drives, consumer SSDs or embedded storage. The announcement should also be distinguished from the 1Tb TLC BiCS10 samples discussed earlier in 2026. The underlying 332-layer platform is shared, but QLC targets higher density and different workloads. Why it matters: More bits per wafer can eventually lower SSD manufacturing cost. Current enterprise demand may absorb the initial output, but high-density BiCS10 QLC could later enable larger consumer SSDs without proportionally increasing package count. BiCS10 QLC detailSpecificationNAND typeFour-bit-per-cell QLCVertical structure332 layersBit densityMore than 37Gb/mm²Density improvementUp to 60% versus eighth-generation technologyInterfaceUp to 4. 8Gb/sManufacturing structureCMOS directly Bonded to ArraySource:HPCwire