Samsung Electronics President Lee Jung-bae: "11nm-class DRAM, 9th Gen V-NAND for Ultra Gap"

President Lee Jung-bae's First Newsroom Contribution
"Developing New Structure for 3D DRAM and V-NAND"

"We will achieve the industry's highest level of integration through the currently developing 11-nanometer class DRAM. For the 9th generation V-NAND, we are developing the highest number of layers possible with a double stack structure. We have successfully secured operational chips for mass production early next year."

Lee Jung-bae, President of Samsung Electronics Memory Business Division, revealed these plans in a contribution posted on Samsung Semiconductor Newsroom on the 17th. This article was published ahead of the 'Samsung Memory Tech Day 2023' held on the 20th in Silicon Valley, USA, to introduce Samsung Electronics' memory semiconductor business vision. This is the first time President Lee has posted a contribution.

Lee Jung-bae, President of Samsung Electronics Memory Division / [Photo by Samsung Semiconductor Newsroom]

He pointed out that as data centers emerge as major applications for memory, the technological challenges have increased. Ultra-large artificial intelligence (AI) and on-device AI, which implements AI in devices, are also emerging as new applications, increasing demands for high-performance, high-capacity, and low-power memory. Furthermore, memory is now required not only for its original function of data storage but also for computational functions.

Samsung Electronics is striving to present products that satisfy customers while enhancing cost competitiveness amid this changing business environment. The company is pursuing a strategy to continuously innovate technology and increase the proportion of advanced process and high value-added product production. It is also increasing research and development (R&D) investment and strengthening cooperative relationships with customers and partners.

Announcing the Implementation of Industry-Leading Integration Through Technological Excellence

Samsung Electronics plans to push the integration density of memory items such as DRAM and NAND flash to the extreme level and open new markets by proposing differentiated solutions including customized products for customers. In the upcoming era of sub-10-nanometer DRAM and 1000-layer V-NAND, new structures and material innovations will be critically important, and the company is fully committed to development for these.

President Lee explained, "We are conducting R&D on 3D stacked structures and new materials for DRAM," adding, "For V-NAND, we are steadily developing next-generation innovative technologies by continuously enhancing our industry-leading strength in implementing the smallest cell size and preparing to introduce new structures."

The company recently succeeded in developing the industry's highest capacity 32Gb Double Data Rate (DDR)5 DRAM. It plans to continuously expand the high-capacity DRAM product lineup and extend solutions to modules with capacities up to 1TB. Samsung also envisions a future where memory bandwidth and capacity can be expanded as desired through new interfaces such as CXL memory modules (CMM).

Samsung Electronics Memory Semiconductor Business Strategy Introduction Image / [Image Source=Samsung Semiconductor Newsroom]

Regarding High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), which is gaining attention as memory for AI, Samsung provides the highest performance products to the market and plans to expand its business scope with customized products for customers in the future. Low Power Double Data Rate (LPDDR) DRAM, a low-power specialized product, applies High-K Metal Gate (HKMG, a next-generation technology minimizing leakage current) process to achieve high performance, and plans to expand applications to data centers through LPDDR5X CAMM solutions in module form.

To resolve memory bottlenecks caused by increased data processing volume, Processing-In-Memory (PIM) and Processing-Near-Memory (PNM) technologies will be applied to products such as HBM and CMM. In the server storage field, Samsung will introduce solid-state drive (SSD) products that can vary capacity according to applications and enable petabyte (PB)-level expansion.

President Lee stated, "The achievements and accomplishments Samsung Electronics has made so far were possible because of boldness that does not fear failure, earnestness to achieve goals, and daring challenges," and expressed his aspiration, "Samsung Electronics will continue to challenge and innovate based on world-class technology, grow together with customers, and open a better future."

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