Samsung Electronics Co is to release a new generation of memory chips later this year, its first in seven years, that promises to double speeds and offer the biggest capacity yet to keep pace with the growth of data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) demands.
The world’s largest memorychip maker said that it developed 512GB DDR5 (double data rate 5) memory modules based on a high-k metal gate fabrication process that has traditionally been used in logic chips.
DDR5 memory would be twice as fast as the current DDR4 while reducing leakage and using about 13 percent less power, the company wrote in its announcement.
Photo: Bloomberg
Samsung expects the transition to DDR5 to begin in the second half of this year.
The chip industry has been anticipating the adoption of the new memory standard, and support for it is to arrive with Intel Corp’s upcoming Xeon Scalable processors, codenamed Sapphire Rapids.
In addition to partnering with the two major CPU suppliers, Intel Corp and Advanced Micro Devices Inc, Samsung has sent samples of its new memory to developers of data center platforms, the company told reporters.
Analysts estimate that DDR5 chips would be about 20 percent larger than DDR4 parts, leading to increased pressure on semiconductor supply chains.
Samsung intends to begin shipments this year and gradually evolve fabrication processes — expanding the use of extreme ultraviolet lithography — and pricing, which would include a premium for the early period.
The crossover between DDR4 and DDR5 is expected to happen as early as in the second half of 2023, the Suwon-based company said.
“As the penetration rate of DDR5 gradually rises, the shortage of DRAM is expected to persist in 2022,” TrendForce Research (集邦科技) vice president Avril Wu (吳雅婷) said. “We also expect a 30 to 40 percent price hike to take place initially.”
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