PC builders rejoice — your new high-end gaming rig is about to get even more powerful. Samsung has just started mass production of a more efficient lithography for its DDR4 computer memory, using 20 per cent less power while running 30 per cent faster than current DRAM speeds.
The new technology is built on a 10nm process, and Samsung is the first in the industry to reach the tiny production size milestone at a mass production level.
DDR4 is quickly taking over from DDR3 as the RAM specification of choice for mainstream PC and server builders, running at lower voltages and at faster speeds than the older memory bus standard. Samsung’s 10nm DDR4 supports transfer rates of 3200Mbps versus 20nm DDR4’s 2400Mbps, while consuming 10 to 20 per cent less power.
Crucially for a mass-market supplier like Samsung, the 10nm lithography improves the yields of its DDR4 silicon wafers by 30 per cent over existing 20nm tech. This could translate into much lower prices for customers, accelerating the continuous price drop we’ve seen on DDR4 in the past 18 months.
Samsung will introduce its new DDR4 RAM modules, produced in eight-gigabit sizes, in capacities of as little as 4GB (for laptop SODIMMs) to 128GB (for enterprise-grade server motherboards). It’ll also use this new super-fast RAM in mobile devices later this year in “ultra-HD” smartphones — expect a 4K Samsung Galaxy Note 6. [Samsung]