Samsung’s High-Speed 16GB RAM Is In Production

Samsung has started production of its 16GB LPDDR5 mobile memory using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology. This RAM is being built at its Pyeongtaek factory in Korea. It’s a big deal because its built on the 10nm-process that is about 16% faster that the current gen 12GB LPDDR5 RAM. It can handle 6,400 megabits per second.

This allows a smartphone to transfer about 10, 5GB-sized full-HD movies, or 51.2GB of data, in one second. The company believes that the new chip will prove beneficial in the 5G and AI segment of next-generation smartphones. It’s the first of its kind to be made with EUV, which improves the manufacturing process. As such, it has the highest speed and capacity of any DRAM.

“The 1z-based 16Gb LPDDR5 elevates the industry to a new threshold, overcoming a major developmental hurdle in DRAM scaling at advanced nodes,” said Jung-bae Lee, executive vice president of DRAM Product & Technology at Samsung Electronics.

The use of the 1z process helps reduce the LPDDR5 package by 30 %, allowing Samsung to pack more memory into a slimmer design. The 16Gb LPDDR5 can build a 16GB package with only eight chips, whereas its 1y-based predecessor requires 12 chips (eight 12Gb chips and four 8Gb chips) to provide the same capacity.

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Spanning more than 128,900 square meters (over 1.3 million square feet), Samsung’s Pyeongtaek Line 2 is the largest-scale semiconductor production line to date. It will serve as a key manufacturing hub for memory and other semiconductor technologies. Chips that roll out from this facility will help take Samsung smartphones to the next level.