Samsung announces new DRAM module

Samsung Electronics' Double Data Rate 5 [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

Samsung Electronics has started producing a new standard of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) module dubbed DDR5 (Double Data Rate 5) using an advanced manufacturing process.

The chipmaker is using 14 nanometer process nodes and extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) technology to enhance data transfer speed and energy efficiency.

The company has shipped 1 million units of DDR4 DRAM modules, a predecessor to DDR5, that were produced with the technology in March 2020 for the first time in the industry.

The EUV technology reduces repetitive steps in multi-patterning and improves patterning accuracy, resulting in better performance and greater yields as well as a shortened development time, the South Korean tech giant said.

The company said it expects the latest process to increase the new module's productivity rate by 20 percent and reduce power consumption by nearly 20 percent.

DDR5 is a next-generation DRAM standard that boasts fast speed and high density with reduced power consumption compared to DDR4. It is optimized for use in data-intensive applications such as big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

"Today, Samsung is setting another technology milestone with multi-layer EUV that has enabled extreme miniaturization at 14nm -- a feat not possible with the conventional argon fluoride process," Lee Joo-young, senior vice president and head of DRAM Product & Technology at Samsung Electronics, said in a press release.

"Building on this advancement, we will continue to provide the most differentiated memory solutions by fully addressing the need for greater performance and capacity in the data-driven world of 5G, AI and the metaverse," he added.

BY PARK EUN-JEE, YONHAP [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]