Micron Commits to 42 Gb/mm2 NAND Density in Late 2027

Micron Technology plans to begin high-volume production of its next-generation G11 NAND flash in the second half of 2027. The new chips will deliver a storage density of approximately 42 Gb/mm2, effectively doubling the capacity of the company's current G9 architecture, which operates at roughly 21 Gb/mm2. Micron stated that this density increase will come from a combination of over 400 active layers and smaller memory cell dimensions.

The shift to G11 marks a strategic departure from previous design methods. Micron will implement wafer-on-wafer bonding, a process that allows engineers to manufacture the memory array and the input/output circuitry on separate wafers. Each wafer is fabricated using a specific process optimized for its function, and the two are then bonded together. This approach provides more flexibility than the CMOS-under-array design Micron has used for several previous generations. Chinese competitor YMTC has already adopted this bonding technique.

Beyond capacity, the new architecture aims to reduce energy costs for data centers and client devices. Micron projects that input/output speeds will rise by up to 50%, reaching 5,400 MT/s from the current 3,600 MT/s. Energy consumption per transferred bit is expected to drop by more than 25%. These specifications are designed to meet the bandwidth and efficiency requirements of artificial intelligence workloads, which place heavy demands on storage infrastructure.

Scott DeBoer, Micron's president and chief technology and products officer, confirmed the timing of the launch at a corporate event this week. DeBoer noted that the company had previously pledged to adopt bonding once it became cost-effective. "This is the right timing for that technology," he said, describing G11 as the most advanced NAND in the industry. The company has not yet disclosed the exact number of memory decks or the specific cell pitch for the new design.

Micron expects to provide further technical details in 2027 as production ramps up. The company stated that the G11 density figure will exceed the next-generation products from rivals Kioxia and Samsung. Looking past the 2027 launch, Micron intends to continue scaling in all three dimensions, including layer count and cell size. DeBoer mentioned that the company is developing high-mobility materials and ultra-dense cell architectures to maintain performance gains. No specific schedules or density targets have been released for generations following G11.

The industry continues to prioritize layer count as a primary method for increasing storage density. Strong demand for NAND-based storage suggests that competition over layer counts will remain intense. Micron's move to bonding allows it to optimize logic and memory separately, potentially reducing manufacturing costs and improving yield in future generations.