What is NAND flash memory?

This episode of Techsplainers explores NAND flash memory, the non-volatile memory technology that underpins many modern storage devices, from USB drives and smartphones to enterprise solid-state drives. As the storage series moves deeper into the hardware layer, the episode explains how NAND flash fits into the broader story of performance, density and storage design. The discussion breaks down how NAND flash stores data without moving parts, why that enables faster access than traditional hard disk drives, and what makes it different from volatile memory like DRAM. It also examines the major types of NAND flash, including SLC, MLC, TLC and QLC, and explains the tradeoffs among speed, endurance, cost and capacity. The episode also introduces 3D NAND, showing how vertical stacking helped increase density and scale. Listeners will learn why NAND flash is foundational to modern flash storage, how it connects to broader storage architecture decisions and why it sets the stage for technologies like NVMe. Along the way, the episode also covers the limitations of NAND flash, including wear over time and the engineering required to manage it effectively. Learn more in https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/nand-flash Find more information at https://www.ibm.com/think/podcasts/techsplainers Narrated by Elly Trickett "AI tools may be used to transcribe this episode and support selected stages of the production process. All AI-assisted content is reviewed by the production team before publication."