Sandisk advances High Bandwidth Flash and NAND roadmap

Sandisk has reached a significant milestone in the development of High Bandwidth Flash (HBF) technology, announcing that the first design has completed the tape-out process and moved to mask manufacturing. While not explicitly detailed in written investor documents, Chief Technologist Alper Ilkbahar stated that customer samples for inference products are expected in 2027, with mass production projected for 2028.

The HBF specification, previously introduced by SK hynix and Sandisk, features 512 gigabytes per stack and three performance classes ranging from 0.4 to 3.0 terabytes per second, utilizing the UCIe chiplet standard.

Additionally, Sandisk revealed its NAND roadmap, detailing upcoming generations including BiCS9, BiCS10, and BiCS11. The BiCS9 generation will utilize a hybrid approach combining older memory cells with new interfaces via CBA technology to provide cost advantages for consumer products. In contrast, the BiCS10 generation is intended for the enterprise sector, offering higher density and performance. The roadmap also briefly noted future plans for BiCS12 and BiCS13.