Samsung produces thinnest low-power DRAM for AI mobile devices

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s top memory chipmaker, has begun mass production of the industry’s thinnest low-power double data rate (LPDDR) chips for mobile devices to cement its leadership in the fast-growing on-device artificial intelligence (AI) sector.

Samsung said on Tuesday it started mass production of the 12 nanometer-class, 12-gigabyte (GB) and 16GB LPDDR5X DRAM packages.

The packages can create additional space within mobile devices, improving airflows within the gadgets, as it is as thin as a fingernail at 0.65 millimeters (mm), the thinnest among existing LPDDR DRAM of 12GB or above, according to the South Korean tech giant.

The new product, which stacks four layers of 12 nm-DRAM die, is some 9% thinner and 21.2% more efficient in terms of heat resistance than its predecessors, Samsung said.

That will make it easier to control heat, increasingly important for high-performance applications with advanced features such as on-device AI, Samsung said.

“Mobile devices usually limit functions to prevent overheating when temperatures rise above certain levels, but the new packages will minimize those issues such as slowing performance or darkening screens,” said a Samsung official.

TO DEVELOP 6-LAYER 24GB, 8-LAYER 32GB

The LPDDR5X DRAM packages are expected to draw attention as mobile DRAM chips are becoming more important amid the rise in high-performance devices such as AI smartphones, industry sources said.

The capacity of mobile DRAM is expected to more than double to 15.22GB per unit by 2028 from 7.02GB last year, according to market researcher Omdia.

Samsung aims to expand its presence in the global low-power DRAM market by supplying the new product to mobile processor makers and device manufacturers.

The company also plans to develop 6-layer 24GB and 8-layer 32GB modules into the thinnest LPDDR DRAM packages for future devices as demand for high-performance, high-density mobile memory solutions in smaller package sizes continues to grow.

“Samsung’s LPDDR5X DRAM sets a new standard for high-performance on-device AI solutions, offering not only superior LPDDR performance but also advanced thermal management in an ultra-compact package,” said Bae YongCheol, Samsung’s memory product planning executive vice president, in a statement.

Write to Eui-Myung Park at uimyung@hankyung.com
 
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.