Samsung Mass Producing 4 Gb DDR3 on 20nm Process
The most advanced DDR3 memory yet.
Samsung today announced that it has begun the mass production of DDR3 RAM based on the 20nm process thanks to a modified approach to scaling. Scaling with DRAM memory is more difficult than scaling with NAND. In NAND flash memory, a cell only needs a transistor, but with DRAM, each cell requires a capacitor and a transistor that are linked to each other. Samsung utilized a modified double patterning and atomic layer deposition to continue scaling for more advanced DRAM.
While it's been useful for Samsung's mass production of 20nm 4G DDR3 DRAM, this modified double patterning technology isn't just notable for its enabling of 20nm DDR3 production with current photolithography equipment. It's also established the core technology required for the next generation of 10nm-class DRAM production.
"Samsung's new energy-efficient 20-nanometer DDR3 DRAM will rapidly expand its market base throughout the IT industry including the PC and mobile markets, quickly moving to mainstream status," said Samsung VP Young-Hyun Jun. "Samsung will continue to deliver next-generation DRAM and green memory solutions ahead of the competition, while contributing to the growth of the global IT market in close cooperation with our major customers."
With this new technology comes improved manufacturing productivity. Samsung is claiming it's over 30 percent higher than that of the preceding 25 nanometer DDR3, and more than twice that of 30nm-class DDR3. These new 20nm 4Gb DDR3-based modules can also save up to 25 percent of the energy consumed by equivalent modules based on the previous 25 nanometer process technology.
Follow Jane McEntegart @JaneMcEntegart. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
-
red77star This is company which is more important to IT than Apple and Microsoft together. Kudos to Samsung and everything they make.Reply -
XGrabMyY DDR4 is coming for Haswell-E for consumers who like senselessly spending insane money on a dead socket with last-generation features and when Skylake drops on Intel's new socket which is probably late 2015-late 2016. We still have two more revisions before Skylake releases.Reply -
Kewlx25 Reply12862586 said:So when is DDR4 coming?
10nm DDR3 *drool* hopefully thats coming in a couple of years.
Outside of a special version of DDR3, don't expect it. As the transistors get smaller, the less voltage they can handle before they burn out. This also means the voltage of the memory bus must also drop. DDR3 is only meant to work in certain voltage ranges. -
balister ReplyDDR4 is coming for Haswell-E for consumers who like senselessly spending insane money on a dead socket with last-generation features and when Skylake drops on Intel's new socket which is probably late 2015-late 2016. We still have two more revisions before Skylake releases.
Intel isn't the only CPU in town. DDR4 may make AMD APUs more viable for med range gaming with higher speed RAM (this has been shown in a number of various reviews where upping the speed of the RAM improved the video performance). -
SteelCity1981 I remember reading that 20nm was suppose to come out with DDR4, but it doesn't look that way now seeing as Samsung made a 20nm DDR3.Reply -
ikyung Remember the legendary Samsung Green memory DDR3 modules? $40 for 8GB @ 1600mhz. People were overclocking those beasts to 2400mhz. Cmon Samsung make more of those bins!Reply -
jimmysmitty Reply12862578 said:DDR4 is coming for Haswell-E for consumers who like senselessly spending insane money on a dead socket with last-generation features and when Skylake drops on Intel's new socket which is probably late 2015-late 2016. We still have two more revisions before Skylake releases.
The socket doesn't mean anything. There is a new chipset which is what matters more.
I do agree adopting memory when it is brand new is not worth it though.
12863720 said:DDR4 is coming for Haswell-E for consumers who like senselessly spending insane money on a dead socket with last-generation features and when Skylake drops on Intel's new socket which is probably late 2015-late 2016. We still have two more revisions before Skylake releases.
Intel isn't the only CPU in town. DDR4 may make AMD APUs more viable for med range gaming with higher speed RAM (this has been shown in a number of various reviews where upping the speed of the RAM improved the video performance).
Except that Intel has announced DDR4 for Haswell-E and AMD has yet to even show a road map with DDR4 plans. AMD never adopts DDR4 right away, they are normally after Intel. Intel adopted DDR2 first and DDR3 first as well.
At best, AMD will have DDR4 when Intel pushes theirs out to the mainstream. -
Master467 Reply12862578 said:DDR4 is coming for Haswell-E for consumers who like senselessly spending insane money on a dead socket with last-generation features and when Skylake drops on Intel's new socket which is probably late 2015-late 2016. We still have two more revisions before Skylake releases.
Can i get a source on this? 2016 is quite a bit away, but i had hoped LGA1150 would live longer then that...