Samsung 12nm-class DRAM, Will It Spark the DDR5 Market... Tomorrow's Discussion on the New Year Semiconductor Roadmap (Comprehensive)

16Gb DDR5 DRAM at 12nm Level to Enter Mass Production Next Year
Processes Two 30GB Movies per Second...Power Consumption Reduced by 23%

Tomorrow's Global Strategy Meeting to Discuss Next Year's Semiconductor Roadmap
Need for Crisis Response Amid Semiconductor Slump and Global Economic Downturn

Samsung Electronics 12nm-class 16Gb DDR5 DRAM image / Photo by Samsung Electronics

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Pyeonghwa] Samsung Electronics has once again demonstrated its technological superiority by successfully developing DDR5-based DRAM using the industry's leading 12-nanometer-class process. Samsung Electronics expressed confidence that the product, scheduled for mass production next year, will serve as a catalyst to expand the next-generation DDR5-based DRAM market. The company also revealed plans to maintain its dominant position as the world's number one DRAM supplier. On the 22nd, Samsung will hold a global strategy meeting to detail its semiconductor business roadmap for next year, including crisis response strategies.

Samsung Electronics announced on the 21st that it has developed 16-gigabit (Gb) DDR5 DRAM using the industry's leading 12-nanometer-class (5th generation 10-nanometer-class) process and completed compatibility verification with the U.S. semiconductor company AMD. The product was verified and optimized on AMD's central processing unit (CPU) platform, laying the groundwork for future mass production and supply.

The 12-nanometer-class 16Gb DDR5 DRAM supports a maximum operating speed of 7.2 gigabits per second (Gbps). This speed allows processing two UHD movies of 30 gigabytes (GB) each per second. It also features approximately 23% improved power consumption compared to the previous generation product.

To develop this product, Samsung Electronics applied a new material with a high dielectric constant (K) to increase the capacitor capacity that stores charge. The design was also innovated to improve circuit characteristics. Samsung Electronics explained that by utilizing multi-layer extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology, it achieved industry-leading integration density.

With this, Samsung Electronics has once again laid the foundation to lead the global DRAM market through technological superiority. Previously, Samsung showcased its technological prowess by mass-producing 14-nanometer (4th generation 10-nanometer-class) DDR5 DRAM, which was the industry's leading process at the time, last year. In March 2020, Samsung was the first in the industry to apply advanced EUV processes to DRAM.

Samsung Electronics plans to expand its 12-nanometer-class DRAM product lineup with improved performance and power efficiency. Starting next year, it aims to begin full-scale mass production of 12-nanometer-class DRAM, targeting supply for various applications such as data centers, artificial intelligence (AI), and next-generation computing. To this end, it also plans to strengthen cooperation with global IT companies.

In particular, Samsung will focus on increasing its market share in the latest DRAM standard, DDR5. According to market research firm Omdia, the proportion of DDR5 among all DRAM production is expected to increase from 20.1% next year to 40.5% by 2025. There are also predictions that DDR5 adoption will increase due to data center expansions and new CPUs next year. Intel's server CPU "Sapphire Rapids," launching in January next year, is expected to be a catalyst for DDR5 market demand.

Lee Ju-young, Vice President and Head of DRAM Development at Samsung Electronics' Memory Business Division, said, "The 12-nanometer-class DRAM developed with differentiated process technology is expected to contribute to providing various customers with a sustainable management environment through excellent performance and high power efficiency," emphasizing, "It will be a catalyst for the full-scale expansion of the DDR5 market."

According to market research firm Omdia, Samsung Electronics held a 40.6% share of the global DRAM market in the third quarter of this year, ranking first. SK Hynix and U.S. Micron ranked second and third with 29.9% and 24.8%, respectively. Samsung Electronics has held the crown in the global DRAM market since first achieving the number one position in 1992.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics will hold a global strategy meeting for its Device Solutions (DS) division on the 22nd. The global strategy meeting is an important event held twice a year, in June and December, where Samsung gathers domestic and international executives to review overall business operations. Earlier this month, on the 15th and 16th, the Device Experience (DX) division held its global strategy meeting.

The DS division's global strategy meeting, held tomorrow under the leadership of Kyung Kye-hyun, President of Samsung Electronics DS division, will focus on reviewing this year's achievements and detailing plans for next year for the three major semiconductor business units: Memory Business, Foundry Business, and System LSI Business. Significant issues related to future business roadmap formulation are expected to be discussed.

An industry insider said, "With the semiconductor industry entering a full-fledged down cycle and the global economic recession expected to continue next year, Samsung Electronics is likely to focus on preparing crisis response strategies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.