3D NAND Flash Memory Market Overview
3D NAND flash memory market is expected to register significant growth during the forecast period. The market is buoyed by several factors primarily, growing demand for solid state drives (SSDs) with increasing memory space in devices, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Moreover, growing demand for high-performance computers used for monitoring, programming, gaming, and various other functions is further fueling the demand for 3D NAND flash memory in the market. 3D NAND flash technology offers higher storage capacity than 2D NAND. This technology lowers the cost per gigabyte, reduces power consumption, and provide higher data write performance.
3D NAND flash memory is a vertical implementation of the NAND flash cell memory. With this vertical implementation of the cell memory, 3D NAND flash memory offers increased storage density of the memory as compared to planar NAND flash memory. Additionally, memory chipmakers are moving from planar NAND to 3D NAND, the technology offers higher capacity in a smaller space. It improves reliability, and provides higher data write performance as compared to planar NAND flash memory.
Based on product type, 3D NAND flash memory market is categorized into SSD, flash drive, and SD card. Among these SSD held the largest share in the market in 2017. This is attributed to rising adoption of SSDs in data centers, and increasing demand for SSDs from enterprises. Further, SSD is categorized into multi-level cell (MLC) and triple-level cell (TLC). Among these, MLC type lead the market; owing to more reliability and greater endurance offered by MLC as compared to TLC.
Based on application, 3D NAND flash memory market is segmented into smartphones, tablets, laptops & personal computers (PCs), digital camera, and audio players. Among these, smartphones is the leading category in the 3D NAND flash memory market. This is attributed to growing demand for smartphones globally, particularly in China, India, and U.S. Moreover, the use of 3D NAND technology helps in increasing storage space in mobile devices.
Based on end user, 3D NAND flash memory market is segmented into client and enterprise. Among these, enterprise category held the largest share in the market and is expected to witness a faster growth in the forecast period as well. This can be attributed to surging demand for faster and compact flash memory from data centers and workstations, and demand for large backup storage requirements from large enterprises.
Based on geography, Asia-Pacific is expected to register fastest growth in the 3D NAND flash memory market, due to rising number of mobile users in the region, particularly in China and India. Additionally, the growing semiconductor industry in the region, particularly in China is fueling the market growth. For instance, it has been recorded that from 2005 to 2015, China’s semiconductor industry grew at a CAGR of around 18.7%, while its semiconductor consumption grew at a rate of about 14.3%.
3D NAND Flash Memory Market Dynamics
Growth Drivers
The surging demand for SSD along with increasing memory space in devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets, and growing demand for faster data processing and high storage requirements from data centers are the key factors driving 3D NAND flash memory market growth. The adoption of SSD is increasing in enterprise servers, due to low power consumption, and high efficiency. For storage, flash memory is preferred in place of hard disk drives in notebooks and smartphones, due to low power consumption, and high shock & vibration resistance feature offered by flash memory.
Additionally, 3D NAND flash memory offers several advantages, such as enhanced performance, more scalability and durability, better stability, and reliability. Also, it fulfills high endurance storage and performance needs of tablets, laptops and smartphones.
3D NAND Flash Memory Competitive Landscape
The intensity of rivalry among players in the global 3D NAND flash memory market is high, due to the presence of large number of semiconductor manufacturing companies. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are expected to introduce several products using 3D NAND technology in the coming years, due to advancements in NAND flash technology.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd for instance, in October 2018, announced plans to offer SSDs, microcontrollers and new NAND flash packaging technology, by transitioning into its fifth-generation 96-layer stacking 3D V-NAND. Similarly, in July 2018, Toshiba Corporation began creating prototype sample of 96-layer, four-bits-per-cell 3D NAND chips with 1.33 terabits (166GB) per chip, which could increase SSD capacity by five folds.
Further, semiconductor manufacturers in the market are launching 4bits/cell 3D NAND flash memory. With the introduction of 4bits/cell NAND technology, a 33% higher array density is achieved as compared to TLC. For instance, in May 2018, Micron Technology Inc., and Intel Corporation announced the production and shipment of 4bits/cell 3D NAND technology. This new flash memory can write and read more cells in parallel, and hence delivers faster throughput and higher bandwidth at the system level. SanDisk Corporation (Western Digital Corporation), SK Hynix Inc., Powerchip Technology Corporation, and Lenovo Group Ltd. are some of the other key players operating in the 3D NAND flash memory market.
The report will provide country-wise 3D NAND flash memory market analysis. Some of the major countries that is covered in the report include the U.S., Canada, China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., South Africa, U.K., Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Brazil, Mexico.
