Samsung Electronics: Development of QLC and V9 NAND.
Samsung has traditionally been a leader in V-NAND production—its vertically stacked 3D NAND technology that can incorporate QLC.
Samsung began mass production of its 9th-generation V-NAND (including QLC), with improvements in bit density, power efficiency, and performance through advanced voltage control techniques and a scaled-layer architecture.
Full commercial rollout of this generation (especially the QLC variant) was delayed to the first half of 2026 due to design and optimization challenges, according to industry reports.
Samsung has also announced plans for SSDs up to 256 TB in 2026 and 512 TB in 2027, in which NAND density—potentially including QLC—will play a key role.
While Samsung has been less vocal specifically about new pure QLC in 2025–2026, its V-NAND roadmap integrates QLC as part of the high-density solution for AI, data centers, and mass storage.
Micron Technology: First PCIe 5.0 QLC SSD for OEMs.
Micron has taken a remarkable step with the announcement of a next-generation QLC SSD:
The Micron 3610 NVMe SSD
PCIe 5.0 NVMe with G9-generation QLC NAND enables capacities up to 4 TB in a compact M.2 2230 form factor.
Designed for OEM markets in ultrathin laptops, Windows ARM devices, and consumer/industrial AI workloads,
it delivers sequential read speeds of up to 11,000 MB/s, highlighting advancements in power efficiency and the use of QLC technology for high density.
This launch was announced in early 2026 at industry trade shows and conferences.
Micron has also been noted for discontinuing its Crucial brand to focus on AI/enterprise markets, marking a strategic shift in its storage portfolio.
SK Hynix: Mass Production of 321-Layer QLC NAND.
SK Hynix has achieved a significant breakthrough in QLC technology:
321-layer 2 Tb QLC NAND (V9Q).
The company has begun mass production of 321-layer QLC chips with 2 Tb per die, offering significant improvements in read/write performance and power efficiency compared to previous generations.
This memory enables high-capacity SSDs, including ~244 TB models for data centers, as well as high-density, lower-cost consumer solutions.
This transition to 321 layers is a milestone that helps mitigate some of the traditional limitations of QLC, such as performance degradation at large storage scales.
Furthermore, SK Hynix has focused on technologies beyond QLC, such as 5-bit-per-cell flash (PLC) and hybrid architectures, although these are still in the research and development stages.
Western Digital/SanDisk: Integration and Emerging Standards.
Western Digital and SanDisk, while less explicit in specific QLC announcements since late 2025, are participating in innovative memory initiatives:
SanDisk + SK Hynix Alliance for “High Bandwidth Flash (HBF)”:
This technology blends NAND with high-bandwidth interfaces to compete with HBM in AI applications, offering 8–16x the density of DRAM with lower power consumption.
While not traditional QLC, this proposal reflects how advanced NAND arrays (including QLC) are being reimagined for intensive workloads.
Western Digital continues to produce enterprise SSDs and collaborate on OptiNAND solutions, in which QLC can be integrated as part of capacity arrays when storage is prioritized over maximum performance.
Solidigm (formerly Intel NAND): Scaling Capacity in QLC SSDs.
Following SK Hynix's acquisition of Intel's NAND business, Solidigm has focused its efforts on enterprise-grade QLC-based SSDs:
High-Capacity SSDs (Exceeding 245 TB).
Solidigm confirmed plans to launch SSDs exceeding 245 TB by the end of 2026, based on high-density QLC memory.
These solutions target hyperscalers and AI-intensive workloads, where QLC offers the ideal balance between capacity and cost.
Their D5-P5336 family has already demonstrated capacities of approximately 122.88 TB using QLC, and the roadmap points to even higher densities with advanced packaging integrations and improved thermal management/firmware.
Comparison of Technical Approaches
Company QLC Development (2025-2026) Product Orientation
Samsung V-NAND 9th generation (embedded QLC, rollout 2026) High density for servers/AI
Micron Micron 3610 Gen5 QLC SSD OEM ultrathin laptops, AI
SK Hynix Mass production 321-layer 2 Tb QLC Consumer and data centers
WD / SanDisk HBF initiatives with NAND Hybrid memory/storage architectures
Solidigm SSD >245 TB QLC roadmap Enterprise / hyperscale
Conclusion:
QLC NAND memory continues to evolve rapidly in 2025-2026 thanks to the maturity of 3D NAND, layer stacking, and improvements in controllers and firmware.
Samsung has made progress with 9th generation V-NAND, which includes QLC, although its full rollout is postponed until 2026.
Micron has introduced a PCIe 5.0 QLC SSD for OEMs, combining efficiency and performance.
SK Hynix leads in QLC density with 321-layer chips and high-capacity offerings.
Western Digital/SanDisk is exploring new form factors and partnerships to maintain its competitive edge.
Solidigm projects extreme-capacity QLC drives for enterprise AI.
Taken together, these advancements demonstrate a diversified NAND industry focused on innovation, with QLC at the heart of cost-effective high-capacity storage strategies, especially for AI and data-intensive systems.
