Yangtze River Storage Technology's (YMTC) 64-layer 3D NAND technology will be ready for mass production in 2019, according to Charles Kau, company acting chairman and executive VP of Tsinghua Unigroup.

YMTC plans to offer samples of its 32-layer 3D NAND products at the end of 2017, and expects to be capable of entering mass production of 64-layer NAND chips in 2019, said Kau. By 2020, YMTC will narrow the technology gap with its bigger rival Samsung Electronics to two years, Kau claimed.

YMTC has been enhancing its patent portfolio, and is confident its 3D NAND technology will outperform several rivals' over the next two to three years, Kau indicated.

Kau also urged China- and Taiwan-based chipmakers to work together in the memory-chip market, where their bigger Korea-based rivals dominate. Since Taiwan-based memory chipmakers do not have their own proprietary technology, they should consider improving the situation, Kau said.

In response to reports indicating Micron Technology has actively taken legal actions against its former employees stationed in Taiwan who allegedly stole the company's trade secrets and technologies to help China-based firms develop DRAM, Kau noted that all new employees are required not to bring any confidential documents and information with them to the company.

YMTC's goal is to attract talent to join it, and the company will not allow its employees to steal their former companies' trade secrets, according to Kau.