Friday, March 29, 2024

Samsung begins mass production of industry’s first 16Gb LPDDR5 mobile DRAM

Earlier this year, Samsung released plans to mass-produce the industry’s first 16-gigabit (Gb) LPDDR5 mobile DRAM, using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology in the second half of the year. The company has now announced that its second production line in Pyeongtaek, Korea, has commenced mass production of this third-gen 10nm-class (1z) EUV-based 16Gb LPDDR5 DRAM.

They claim that their new LPDDR5 DRAM chip has the highest mobile memory performance and largest capacity to enable more consumers to enjoy the full benefits of 5G and AI features in next-generation smartphones. The new memory modules deliver data transfer rates at 6,400 megabits per second (Mb/s), which is about 16% faster than the 12Gb LPDDR5 (5,500 Mb/s) found in most modern flagship mobile devices.

The 16Gb LPDDR5 only needs eight chips to create a 16 GB package, while the previous generation product based on 1y requires 12 chips (eight 12Gb chip and four 8Gb chip) to provide the same capacity.

At the same time, thanks to today’s most advanced (1z) technology, the LPDDR5 case is 30% thinner than its predecessor, allowing for more functional smartphones in a slim design. This strengthens the hand of engineers in architecture, especially in foldable devices and multi-camera smartphones. When made into a 16GB package, the LPDDR5 can transfer about ten 5GB-sized full-HD movies, or 51.2GB of data, in one second.

Samsung also confirmed that the DRAM would work with other brands of smartphones as well, not just Samsung Galaxy. By delivering the first 16 GB LPDDR5 package based on 1z to global smartphone makers, Samsung plans to further strengthen its position in the leading mobile device market throughout 2021.