Samsung has unveiled its next-generation RAM technology, which the company says will power everything from your next smartphone to the mcuh-heralded metaverse.
The new 14-nanometer based 16GB Low Power Double Data Rate 5X (LPDDR5X) DRAM, is claimed as an industry-first, and is also expected to help in high-speed data service applications including 5G and artificial intelligence (AI).
Many mobile phones currently use LPDDR5 memory, but Samsung says the new LPDDR5X DRAM can process data at up to 8.5 Gbps (around 1.3 times faster) while consuming 20% less power than the existing memory, meaning better battery life all round.
Apple use?
“Our LPDDR5X will broaden the use of high-performance, low-power memory beyond smartphones and bring new capabilities to AI-based edge applications like servers and even automobiles," noted SangJoon Hwang, Senior Vice President and Head of the DRAM Design Team at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung said the 16GB DRAM can also be packaged as 64GB memory modules per chip, which could first appear in next flagship smartphone, most likely the Samsung Galaxy S22.
But Samsung also noted that t would begin collaborating with global chipset manufacturers later this year to establish a more viable framework for the expanding world of digital reality.
This could even include its old rival Apple, which uses LPDDR5 in its Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, meaning a switch could be coming soon.
"The company will look to broaden its pacesetting mobile DRAM lineup with continuous improvements in performance and power efficiency, while also reinforcing its market leadership with greater manufacturing agility," Samsung said.
Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is a type of semiconductor memory that is typically used for the data or program code needed by a computer processor to function. It is generally located close to a computer's processor and enables faster access to data than storage media.
