YMTC Awaits at the End of the 3D NAND Road — Samsung and Micron Find Themselves in an Awkward Spot
In the world of memory chips, three giants have long dominated the landscape: Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix. Together, these companies control over 80% of the global market, leaving only a fraction of the pie to be shared by all other competitors combined.
Chinese memory makers entered the game relatively late. When compared to the established powerhouses, the gap in technology and scale seemed insurmountable. For a long time, many believed that Chinese firms like Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) could only trail behind — let alone catch up, much less lead.
But recent developments in 3D NAND flash technology are beginning to challenge that assumption.
A Twist in the 3D NAND Race #
While Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix continue pushing the limits of 3D NAND, striving for ever-higher layer counts and performance, a surprising discovery emerged: YMTC is already waiting for them at the frontier — armed with a robust patent portfolio in hybrid bonding technology.
It’s an unexpected twist. While the established players were busy stacking more layers and shrinking circuits, YMTC had quietly built a strategic advantage in one of the most critical enabling technologies for next-generation memory.
The Two Pillars of NAND: Storage vs. Peripheral Logic #
Modern NAND memory is built on two core components:
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The memory cell array: This part holds the actual data. However, its process node can’t be shrunk indefinitely. After 18nm, further scaling risks data stability, so manufacturers now stack layers vertically (e.g., 200, 300, or more) — much like building a taller skyscraper to house more residents.
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Peripheral circuitry: This includes the logic circuits that control reading and writing. These can continue to shrink using advanced process nodes (e.g., 5nm or 3nm), enabling faster performance.
The key lies in how to integrate these two parts efficiently. And that’s where Hybrid Bonding comes in.
Hybrid Bonding: The Technology Behind the Shift #
Hybrid bonding — the fusion of separately manufactured logic and memory dies — has become the go-to technology for achieving ultra-fine interconnect pitches in heterogeneous semiconductor integration.
Years ago, YMTC unveiled its proprietary version of hybrid bonding, called Xtacking. Though initially overlooked, Xtacking has now become a central topic in the race for next-gen NAND.
A recent patent landscape analysis revealed a striking result: YMTC holds more hybrid bonding-related patents for NAND than Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix combined.
From Competition to Cooperation #
Faced with YMTC’s dominant intellectual property position, even industry leaders have taken notice. Samsung has reportedly reached a cooperation agreement with YMTC to access relevant patents. SK Hynix is also rumored to be exploring similar partnerships.
Why fight in court when licensing is the easier path?
This shift speaks volumes. After years of relentless R&D, Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix may have pushed forward only to find that YMTC is already standing at the finish line — not necessarily with the most layers or the fastest chips, but with control over the technology needed to build the future.