SK Hynix will be the second memory chip maker to mass-produce 48-stack 3D NAND flash memory chips starting from the end of the month, following Samsung Electronics. With the planned production, the company’s NAND chip output is expected to more than double from the current 10,000 units of the 12-inch wafers per month to some 20,000 to 30,000 units at the end of this year. The share of 3D NAND in the company's overall NAND output will rise to around 15 percent. However, DRAM sales still make up almost 70 percent of the company’s chip sales.

It is widely lnmown that ince the flat micro-processing technology reached its limit at around 10 nanometers, 3D NAND was developed as an alternative to overcome the limit.

SK Hynix is also developing the next-generation 72-stack 3D NAND and is expected to begin the mass-production from the latter half of next year.

Rivals such as Toshiba and Micron are still struggling with production of the latest 48-layer DRAM chips.