Whether a smartphone needs 16 GB of memory is still up for debate, but Samsung is leading that charge regardless.
The Korean giant has begun mass producing 16 GB LPDDR5 mobile DRAM packages – the industry’s first – using its 2nd-gen 10 nm process. These will go into next-generation premium smartphones, such as the company’s own Galaxy S20 Ultra. (This is first model to carry such an impressive amount of memory, but it starts at $1,399.)
With a data transfer rate of 5,500 Mb/s, the new 16 GB LPDDR5 DRAM is 1.3 times faster than Samsung’s 12 GB LPDDR4X (4,266 Mb/s). Each package comprises eight 12 Gb chips and four 8 Gb chips.
The high-capacity LPDDR5 DRAM also offers a 20-percent memory savings over Samsung’s 8 GB LPDDR4X packages.
Samsung believes that the memory increase should benefit plenty of applications, such as 5G connectivity, artificial intelligence, mobile gaming, and photography.
The company will pivot to its 3rd-gen 10 nm process in the second half of this year, which will be used to produce an even better 16 GB LPDDR5 package with a data transfer rate of 6,400 Mb/s.
“Samsung has been committed to bringing memory technologies to the cutting edge in allowing consumers to enjoy amazing experiences through their mobile devices. We are excited to stay true to that commitment with our new, top-of-the-line mobile solution for global device manufacturers,” said Cheol Choi, senior vice president of memory sales & marketing, Samsung Electronics. “With the introduction of a new product lineup based on our next-generation process technology later this year, Samsung will be able to fully address future memory demands from global customers.”