Yangtze Memory Technologies Corporation (YMTC), a leading Chinese flash memory chipmaker, has integrated its latest Xtacking 4.0 design into a 3D NAND chip containing 294 gates.

The chip is used in the ZhiTai TiPro9000 solid-state storage device, featuring a dual-deck structure with 150 gates on the lower deck and 144 gates on the upper deck, connected via a hybrid-bonding technique.

The new design provides a storage density exceeding 20 gigabits per square millimeter, surpassing the previous generation’s 180-gate design.

TechInsights, a Canadian semiconductor research firm, estimates that the chip contains about 270 active memory layers.

This development follows expectations that YMTC would use Xtacking 4.0 in higher layer count chips after releasing its 160-layer product last year.

Despite ongoing US sanctions on China’s semiconductor industry, YMTC’s use of Xtacking 4.0 positions the company ahead of competitors in chip technology, according to analyst Jeongdong Choe.