SK hynix has begun shipping its PQC21 consumer SSD, the first drive built on a 321‑layer QLC NAND stack. Available in 1 TB and 2 TB, the cSSD uses SLC caching to offset the typical write‑speed penalty of QLC. Dell became the first customer this month, signaling early industry adoption in the high‑density storage market for data centers and gamers alike today.

QLC stores four bits per cell, boosting density but traditionally lagging behind TLC in writes. SK hynix’s design routes hot data first to faster SLC‑mode zones before relegating it to QLC, smoothing performance for everyday workloads. IDC projects QLC flash to jump from 22% of the global cSSD market in 2025 to 61% by 2027, making this launch timely now.

SK hynix’s rollout follows Samsung’s continued dominance, which earned $6.6 billion in revenue last quarter, a 10% quarterly rise. Meanwhile, the SK Group—combining SK hynix and Solidigm—posted a 47.8% jump in revenue to roughly $5.21 billion, capturing 22.1% of the market. The new drive positions SK hynix as a serious contender in the fast‑growing consumer SSD segment for consumers seeking high density.