The memory is made on the 20nm fabrication technology

Dec 23, 2014 07:44 GMT  ·  By

In what might just be the most ironic twist of the end of the year, mobile devices may gain support for DDR4 before the majority of personal computers do. All because Samsung decided to launch LPDDR4 memory.

DDR4 RAM is supported, on the computer front, by Intel Haswell-E central processing units, like Core i7 Extreme Edition and the latest Xeon chips.

You would think that mobile devices like smartphones and tablets would be slower in adopting the new standard, since even DDR3 is a bit overkill for them when at 2 GB or greater capacity.

Samsung doesn't really share this opinion, however, having just unleashed the world's first 8 Gb low power double data rate 4 mobile DRAM. That's 8 Gb LPDDR4, since the full name is a mouthful.

The 8 Gb LPDDR4 memory chips

Created for "UHD, large-screen flagship mobile devices," the LPDDR4 memory products are built on the 20nm fabrication node.

They promise a twofold increase in both performance and data density compared to 4 Gb LPDDR3. Also, they allow for LPDDR4 packages of 4 GB to be created.

Little wonder that the 4 GB LPDDR3 memory package already has a 2015 CES Innovation Award. It's like a tradition at Samsung really, after 2GB LPDDR3 and 3GB LPDDR3 were honored in a similar fashion in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Spec-wise, we're looking at 8 Gb memory with an operating voltage of 1.1V and power savings of 40% compared to 4 Gb LPDDR3-based 2 GB package.

Besides tablets and laptops, the RAM will be used in servers, as soon as production reaches a good enough level.

In all cases, the I/O data rate is of up to 3,200 Mbps, twice that of typical DDR3 DRAM used in personal computers. Enough to handle continuous recording of ultra high definition video (UHD) and images of 20 megapixels size.

Availability and pricing

Since the LPDDR4 chips will be supplied to product OEMs and designers, the price hasn't been disclosed as it would be for retail products.

In fact, 4 GBLPDDR4 won't be released until early 2015. For now, only 2 GB and 3 GB DRAM packages are available.

"By initiating production of 20nm 8Gb LPDDR4, which is even faster than the DRAM for PCs and servers and consumes much less energy, we are contributing to the timely launch of UHD, large-screen flagship mobile devices," said Joo Sun Choi, Executive Vice President of Memory Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics.

"As this major advancement in mobile memory demonstrates, we will continue to closely collaborate with global mobile device manufacturers to optimize DRAM solutions, making them suitable for next-generation mobile OS environments."

Show Press Release

Samsung intros 8 Gb LPDDR4 (4 Images)

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