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Samsung Completes 236-Layer 8th-Gen NAND Transition at China Xi'an Plant — 9th Gen Also Set to Operate This Year
Samsung Electronics has completed the first phase of its leading-edge process transition at its NAND flash memory plant in Xi'an, China. The company has fully replaced its legacy 128-layer NAND with next-generation 236-layer products and is now in mass production, according to industry sources.
A transition to the latest 286-layer NAND is also expected to be completed within the year, with full-scale operations to follow — signaling that Samsung's Xi'an facility, a core NAND production hub, is accelerating its competitive repositioning.
According to industry sources on the 29th, Samsung's Xi'an plant recently commenced mass production of 236-layer 8th-generation NAND (V8). The process conversion, which began in 2024, has now been finalized — concluding production of the legacy 128-layer 6th-generation (V6) NAND and marking Samsung's full entry into the 200-layer-plus era.
In NAND flash, which achieves capacity by stacking cells vertically, a higher layer count translates directly to greater storage density. Xi'an had long been producing 128-layer product, but as demand for legacy nodes steadily declined, the transition to next-generation technology became necessary.
The move reflects the diminishing competitiveness of older products. China's largest NAND manufacturer, YMTC, has already reached 294-layer production in mass volume, making it increasingly difficult to fend off Chinese competition with sub-200-layer offerings.
"The tightening restrictions on advanced semiconductor equipment imports into China amid the U.S.-China tech conflict likely accelerated Samsung's push to complete the transition," said one industry official.
The U.S. has imposed export controls on advanced American-made equipment to curb China's semiconductor ambitions. Samsung has been granted Validated End-User (VEU) status, exempting it from certain restrictions — but since late last year, the company has been required to renew U.S. government approval on an annual basis.
The surge in AI infrastructure investment has also served as a tailwind for the node transition. Rapidly growing demand for enterprise solid-state drives (eSSD) has raised the bar for high-performance NAND.
Samsung's near-term plan is to shift Xi'an's primary output from V6 to V8, consolidating its competitive position. In parallel, Xi'an Plant 2 (X2) is slated for a transition to 286-layer 9th-generation (V9) NAND, maximizing next-generation production capacity.
V9 represents Samsung's most current product in mass production. The company plans to complete the transition and commence volume output within this year.
Xi'an accounts for approximately 40% of Samsung's total NAND output. The ongoing process conversions are expected to meaningfully expand the facility's capacity for V8 and V9 production.
The transition is also seen as laying the groundwork for accelerating development of 10th-generation NAND (V10), estimated to exceed 400 layers. Samsung is currently mass-producing V9 at its Pyeongtaek campus while preparing for V10 production there as well. With a stable V8/V9 production regime now established in Xi'an, Samsung is expected to fast-track V10 and subsequent next-generation NAND readiness at its domestic facilities.
A Samsung Electronics spokesperson stated: "We cannot confirm specific product production timelines," adding, "our commitment to continuously advancing next-generation NAND transitions and further strengthening our leading-edge process portfolio remains unchanged."
