Five years after the introduction of LPDDR5 and just before the finalization of the LPDDR6 standard by JEDEC, Samsung has unveiled a new, faster version of its LPDDR5X DRAM. This new chip, which runs at 10.7Gbps, is an improvement over the previous LPDDR5X chip which ran at 8.5Gbps. It is also faster than the 9.6Gbps LPDDR5T variant offered by rival SK Hynix.
The new LPDDR5X chip from Samsung is built on a 12nm class process, making it not only faster but also smaller in size, the smallest chip size for any LPDDR. This makes it suitable for use in on-device AI applications, where space constraints are a concern.
According to YongCheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning at Samsung Electronics, the demand for low-power, high-performance memory is increasing, and LPDDR DRAM is expected to expand its applications beyond mobile devices to other areas such as PCs, accelerators, servers, and automobiles. Samsung aims to continue innovating and delivering optimized products for the upcoming on-device AI era through collaboration with customers.
The 10.7Gbps LPDDR5X from Samsung offers improved performance, with a 25% boost compared to LPDDR5, and increased capacity by up to 30%. It also raises the single package capacity of mobile DRAM to 32GB. The chip includes power-saving technologies that enhance power efficiency by 25% and enable it to enter low-power mode for extended periods.
Samsung plans to start mass production of the 10.7Gbps LPDDR5X DRAM in the second half of this year after successful verification with mobile application processor (AP) and mobile device providers. This new chip is expected to bring improved performance, efficiency, and capacity to a wide range of applications beyond just mobile devices.