Samsung ceases production of 2‑D NAND and shifts its plants to manufacture HBM4.

Samsung is ceasing production of 2‑D NAND flash and redirecting its plants toward HBM4

This year Samsung announced a complete withdrawal from manufacturing 2‑D NAND flash memory. The remaining lines will be redirected toward producing HBM4 memory, which is currently in high demand due to the rapid growth of AI.

What’s happening at the Hwason plant
According to *The Elec Korea*, Samsung plans to shut down 2‑D NAND production at its Hwason facility. Instead of fully decommissioning the line, the company will retool it for DRAM metallization – the process of laying down traces that connect memory cells within a chip.

- Line capacity 12: from 80,000 to 100,000 12‑inch wafers per month.

- These wafers were previously used exclusively for 2‑D NAND flash, but the technology has become obsolete after the advent of 3‑D NAND.

Now this line will produce 6th‑generation DRAM (10 nm), used in HBM4. Samsung estimates that total monthly DRAM production capacity – including lines 3 and 4 in Pyeongtaek – will reach roughly 200,000 wafers by the end of the second half of the year.

Why 2‑D NAND is disappearing
2‑D NAND memory first appeared at the end of the 1990s. Over recent years manufacturers have gradually phased it out in favor of more advanced 3‑D NAND. The 3‑D NAND technology offers significant advantages: higher capacity, better reliability, and substantially faster performance.

According to Samsung’s plan, the final cessation of 2‑D NAND production is scheduled for March. After that, the plant will fully shift to producing newer solutions – including HBM4 – which are in demand in high‑performance computing systems and AI applications.