LPDDR4 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 07 Jul 2023 10:59:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png LPDDR4 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Crucial T700 2TB with Heatsink SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/crucial-t700-2tb-with-heatsink-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/crucial-t700-2tb-with-heatsink-ssd-review/#respond Thu, 06 Jul 2023 11:00:04 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=620441 It's about £30 more than the non-heatsink model, but just how good is this Crucial SSD?

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Launched at the same time as the standard Crucial T700 (which we reviewed here) is the version that comes with a factory-fitted low-profile heatsink. On sale for about £350, what performance is on offer, and is it worth it over the non-heatsink version?

The T700 is built around the world's first consumer Gen 5 controller, Phison's PS5026-E26. For the T700, the eight-channel controller is used in combination with Micron's own 232-layer 3D TLC NAND Flash. Also from Micron is the LPDDR4 DRAM IC used for caching duties (1GB per 1TB of NAND flash).

At the time of launch, the T700 line is made up of just three capacities; 1TB, 2TB (the drive we are looking at here) and a 4TB flagship model.  As for performance, the 2TB and 4TB models are rated at up to 12,400MB/s and 11,800MB/s for Sequential read/writes respectively while the 1TB drive is rated as up to 11,700MB/s for Sequential reads and up to 9.500MB/s for writes.

As for random 4K performance, the 2TB and 4TB drives are rated as up to 1,500,000 IOPS for both reads and writes with the 1TB drive's performance quoted as up to 1,350,000 IOPS for reads and 1,400.000 IOPS for writes.

Crucial quote an endurance figure for the 2TB model of 1,200TBW with figures of 800TBW for the 1TB drive and 2,400TBW for the flagship 4TB model. The range is backed by a five-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities:  2TB.
  • NAND Components: Micron 232-layer 3D TLC NAND.
  • NAND Controller: Phison PS5026-E26 8-channel.
  • Cache: 2GB LPDDR4.
  • Interface: PCIe Gen 5 x4.
  • Form Factor: M.2 2280.
  • Dimensions: 80 x 22 x 21mm.
  • Drive Weight: 48g.

Firmware Version: PACR5101.

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Prices of DDR3 and DDR4 continue to drop, set to decline further https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/prices-of-ddr3-and-ddr4-memory-continue-to-drop-expected-to-decline-further/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/prices-of-ddr3-and-ddr4-memory-continue-to-drop-expected-to-decline-further/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2015 21:43:21 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=270425 Contract prices of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) modules dropped in August and September, despite peak season and anticipated stock-up demand on China, according to DRAMeXchange. Analysts believe that the launch of Microsoft Windows 10 this summer did not catalyse rise of demand, whereas the free Windows 10 upgrade program actually slowed sales of PCs …

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Contract prices of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) modules dropped in August and September, despite peak season and anticipated stock-up demand on China, according to DRAMeXchange. Analysts believe that the launch of Microsoft Windows 10 this summer did not catalyse rise of demand, whereas the free Windows 10 upgrade program actually slowed sales of PCs down. Moreover, prices of memory will continue to drop in the coming quarters.

Average contract price of one 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM module in the second half of September declined to $18.5 (a drop of 2.63 per cent from the previous period), whereas average contract price of one 4GB DDR4 SO-DIMM decreased to $20 (a reduction of 4.76 per cent from the previous period), according to the world’s leading memory market tracker. In early July one 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM cost $24.5, whereas in May it was sold for over $27.

gskill_trident_z_ddr4_system

Prices of DRAM have been falling for a number of quarters and even in August and September they did not stop their declines because sales of PCs, smartphones and servers were weak.

“Notebook shipments in the third quarter fall short of what is expected for a traditional peak season mainly because Windows 10 with its free upgrade plan negatively impacted replaced sales of notebooks to some extent rather than driving the demand for these products,” said Avril Wu, assistant vice president at DRAMeXchange. “Furthermore, projected shipments of smartphones and servers have been marked down, and this has seriously eroded the margins of DRAM suppliers.”

While there are only three major DRAM manufacturers on the planet now – Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron – the competition remains heated, causing prices to fall. Moreover, as the industry transits to 20nm process technology for computer memory, it further increases the DRAM output, which negatively affects prices. Samsung Electronics is gearing up to start production of DRAM using 10nm-class (allegedly 18nm) process technology sometimes next year, which will put even more pressure on prices and competitors, reports DRAMeXchange.

corsair_dominator_platinum_ddr4

Slow demand for PCs, servers and other devices coupled with increasing DRAM output will continue to negatively impact prices of memory unless the global economy starts to recover, generating demand for products in general and memory in particular.

“If the global economy continues to stagnate, the end market will not generate the demand needed to effectively consume the new DRAM chips produced on the advanced processes,” said Mr. Wu. “Looking ahead to the first half of 2016, DRAMeXchange expects price decline in the DRAM chip market to become more severe than the current slide.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: On the one hand, low prices are good for the buyer. On the other hand, problems of DRAM producers caused by low prices and miniscule profitability will inevitably have their negative effect on the whole industry in the future.

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Samsung unveils the first 4.26GHz LPDDR4 chip with 12Gb capacity https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/samsung-unveils-worlds-first-4-26ghz-lpddr4-chip-with-12gb-capacity/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/samsung-unveils-worlds-first-4-26ghz-lpddr4-chip-with-12gb-capacity/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2015 10:13:21 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=266891 Samsung Electronics has announced that it had begun mass production of LPDDR4 memory chips with 12Gb capacity. The new memory devices were designed for high-performance smartphones and tablets that require a lot of ultra-fast dynamic random access memory. Samsung’s 12Gb LPDDR4 memory chip not only features unprecedented capacity – 12Gb, or 1.5GB – but also …

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Samsung Electronics has announced that it had begun mass production of LPDDR4 memory chips with 12Gb capacity. The new memory devices were designed for high-performance smartphones and tablets that require a lot of ultra-fast dynamic random access memory.

Samsung’s 12Gb LPDDR4 memory chip not only features unprecedented capacity – 12Gb, or 1.5GB – but also operates at 4266MHz effective clock-rate, which is considerably faster than the frequency of DDR4 modules for personal computers. The chip has 32-bit wide bus (two independent 16-bit busses) and has peak memory bandwidth of 17GB/s.

Samsung will sell its new 12Gb LPDDR4 memory devices in 3GB and 6GB packages, enabling smartphones and tablets with unprecedented amount of dynamic random access memory (DRAM).

The 12Gb LPDDR4 chips are made using a 20nm-class process technology and are considerably more energy-efficient than DDR3 or DDR4 chips used by personal computers thanks to 1.1V voltage (DDR4 has 1.2V voltage).

samsung_12Gb_lpddr4_dram_chip_memory

Samsung believes that in addition to smartphones and tablets, LPDDR4 memory will be used for ultra-slim PCs, digital appliances and automotive devices over time. Nowadays Apple MacBook notebooks use LPDDR3 memory instead of PC DRAM in a bid to prolong battery life.

“By initiating mass production of 12Gb LPDDR4 mobile DRAM in an extremely timely manner, we now are not only helping OEMs to accelerate their moves to the next generation of mobile devices, but also providing functionality that will give mobile consumers greatly enhanced user experiences,” said Joo Sun Choi, executive vice president of memory sales and marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Furthermore, we intend to closely collaborate with our global customers to move beyond premium smartphones and tablets in creating new digital markets that embrace the full potential of cutting-edge technologies like next-generation mobile DRAM.”

Samsung will begin to sell its 12Gb LPDDR4 memory chips in the coming months.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The ability to install 6GB of memory into a smartphone or tablet will enable Samsung to considerably increase performance of its products. Eventually, such chips will be used by companies like Apple and others.

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Samsung reportedly cuts output of standard DRAM, prices may rise https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/samsung-reportedly-cuts-output-of-standard-dram-prices-may-increase/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/samsung-reportedly-cuts-output-of-standard-dram-prices-may-increase/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2015 01:48:09 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=261939 Samsung Electronics has reportedly decided to reduce production of standard dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which could cause increase of DRAM prices in the coming months. The world’s No. 1 maker of computer memory will increase production of LPDDR in a bid to supply enough memory to Apple, which is gearing up to introduce new …

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Samsung Electronics has reportedly decided to reduce production of standard dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which could cause increase of DRAM prices in the coming months. The world’s No. 1 maker of computer memory will increase production of LPDDR in a bid to supply enough memory to Apple, which is gearing up to introduce new iPhone handsets.

Samsung will cut DRAM production by around 30 per cent, reports CTimes, citing Taiwanese Economic Daily News. The company plans to use manufacturing capacities currently utilized to make standard DRAM to produce mobile DRAM used in smartphones. Since Samsung’s offering of standard memory will drop, prices of such memory will likely increase in August or September.

samsung_64gb_tsv_ddr4_dram_module

Apple’s next-generation iPhone will integrate 2GB of LPDDR4 memory instead of 1GB, which means that the company will have to purchase considerably more memory ICs [integrated circuits] than last year. In a bid to ensure that it has enough DRAM for its next smartphones, Apple will purchase DRAM not only from SK Hynix and Micron, but also from Samsung.

Demand for personal computers has been decreasing for several quarters, causing oversupply of DRAM. As a result, memory prices have been declining for months as well. Samsung’s decision will likely help DRAM prices to rebound.

Samsung did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Samsung’s decision to cut DRAM production is a good news for companies like Micron Technology and SK Hynix, who naturally suffer from low prices of DRAM.

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DRAM prices continue to drop despite of looming back-to-school season https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/dram-prices-continue-to-drop-despite-of-looming-back-to-school-season/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/dram-prices-continue-to-drop-despite-of-looming-back-to-school-season/#respond Thu, 09 Jul 2015 08:57:22 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=258211 Despite of the fact that personal computer makers are now buying dynamic random access memory in a bid to support demand during the back-to-school season, DRAM prices continue to drop. Not only weak demand impacts DRAM prices negatively. All memory makers are transiting to thinner manufacturing technologies and Samsung even introduces new capacities, which means …

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Despite of the fact that personal computer makers are now buying dynamic random access memory in a bid to support demand during the back-to-school season, DRAM prices continue to drop. Not only weak demand impacts DRAM prices negatively. All memory makers are transiting to thinner manufacturing technologies and Samsung even introduces new capacities, which means that there will be more DRAM available in the coming months.

“Downside risk to DRAM prices is mounting as inventory levels are rising amid weak set demand,” wrote Romit Shah, an analyst with Nomura Equity Research, in a note to clients, reports Tech Trader Daily.

corsair_dominator_platinum_ddr4

At press time one 4Gb 1600MHz DDR3 chip cost $2.558 on the spot market, down from $2.913 in late May, based on data from DRAMeXchange. Contract price of a 4Gb DDR3 memory chip is around $2.75, whereas a 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM costs $24.5, around $3 lower than back in May. One 4Gb 2133MHz DDR4 chip costs approximately $3.589 on the spot market.

The situation remains complicated because all memory producers are transiting to 20nm fabrication process, which means that their per-chip costs are declining. Since Samsung Electronics is producing a huge part of its DRAM using 20nm manufacturing technology and has been decreasing prices to gain market share for some time now, other makers will follow with the same tactics, passing their savings to their customers and decreasing quotes.

Moreover, the situation will get even more complicated when Samsung and SK Hynix start to produce computer memory at their new facilities: the Line-17 fab in Hwaseong, South Korea, and the M14 fab at the company’s complex in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.

gskill_trident_z_ddr4_system

Samsung’s Line-17 fab in Hwaseong, South Korea, is capable of producing logic, DRAM and NAND flash memory. The manufacturing facility is capable of 80 thousand of 300mm wafer starts per month. 60 thousand of wafers are expected to be allocated for computer memory. It is expected that by the end of the year the fab will produce around 40 thousand 300mm wafers per month.

SK Hynix’s M14 will start small-scale production in late Q3 or early Q4, 2015. It is expected that it will produce around 10 thousand of 300mm DRAM wafers per month initially.

Micron, with its strict cost control and profit-based strategy, does not have capacity expansion plans for 2015. However, the company is aggressively transitioning to 20nm process technology. Moroever, when two out of three DRAM producers manufacture more memory, prices will inevitably decline because of increased availability.

“In 2H 2015/1H 2016, we see risk that added DRAM capacity from Samsung (Line-17, greatest impact Q3 2015) and SK Hynix (M14) could push out the timeframe for pricing stability to transpire,” wrote Mr. Shah. “Furthermore, supply could grow on 20nm migrations from Micron and SK Hynix in 2H 2015, which also threatens recovery of pricing. Micron’s migration from 30nm to 20nm could yield an incremental ~80% bits/wafer.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is obvious that with sales warning from AMD, rumours that Intel’s sales will meet only the low-end of its expectations and other reports about weak demand for personal computers in particular and consumer electronics in general mean bad news for DRAM makers. Moreover, the situation will get even tougher when Samsung starts to produce computer memory at its colossal manufacturing facility near Pyeongtaek, South Korea, in 2017.

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Samsung putting pressure on DRAM prices – analyst https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/samsung-putting-pressure-on-dram-prices-analyst/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/samsung-putting-pressure-on-dram-prices-analyst/#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2015 02:42:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=254405 Some market observers believe that prices of dynamic random access memory are about to increase, which will significantly improve profitability of DRAM producers. While this is essentially correct, there are reports that Samsung Electronics is dropping prices of memory in a bid to boost revenues, which could hurt other manufacturers' profit margins. “Two years of …

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Some market observers believe that prices of dynamic random access memory are about to increase, which will significantly improve profitability of DRAM producers. While this is essentially correct, there are reports that Samsung Electronics is dropping prices of memory in a bid to boost revenues, which could hurt other manufacturers' profit margins.

“Two years of firm DRAM prices appears reverting to a lower margin environment, still profitable but materially less so than once believed,” wrote Rick Whittington, an analyst with Drexel Hamilton, in a note to clients, reports Tech Trader Daily.

Samsung is the only producer of DRAM, which makes a substantial portion of its memory using 20nm fabrication technology. Two other major DRAM manufacturers – Micron and SK Hynix – will continue to produce the larger part of their DRAM chips this year using 25nm and 28nm processes. Thinner manufacturing technology allows to make memory ICs [integrated circuits] smaller and cheaper. As a result, Samsung can sell its memory at lower price points without affecting its gross margins.

“Predicated upon a view Samsung’s strategic interests bring willingness to accept lower memory margins, DRAM price drops are liable to continue,” wrote the market observer.

samsung_64gb_tsv_ddr4_dram_module

Although there are only three major makers of DRAM left on the planet – Micron, Samsung and SK Hynix – and prices of memory remained more or less stable for several quarters, they have been decreasing in the recent months because of slow demand for PCs, tablets and other devices.

According to the analyst, Samsung is slashing prices not only on PC-oriented memory, but also on mobile LPDDR DRAM, which hurts other makers. For several years prices of LPDDR memory have been stable, which helped DRAM manufacturers to maintain their margins.

“PC DRAM price weakness has spread to mobile, reducing margins and earnings estimates as Samsung brings process cost drops to customers,” wrote Mr. Whittington.

samsung_lpddr4_mass_production

DRAMeXchange expects the overall value of the global DRAM market to reach $52.3 billion this year, a 13 per cent growth compared to 2014. Samsung has been the world’s biggest memory producer for many years now. The South Korean conglomerate is expected to further strengthen its positions in the DRAM market in the coming years after it completes its giant semiconductor fab near Pyeongtaek, South Korea, which is going to cost $23.6 billion in total.

Samsung did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: If Samsung can easily shrink DRAM margins for other makers today, imagine, what it will be able to do once the colossal manufacturing facility begins operations in 2017.

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DRAM will remain in short supply this year – analyst https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/dram-will-remain-in-short-supply-this-year-analyst/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/dram-will-remain-in-short-supply-this-year-analyst/#comments Thu, 26 Feb 2015 00:00:12 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=237673 Even though Samsung Electronics plans to increase its manufacturing capacities for dynamic random access memory later this year, analysts believe that this will not create an oversupply on the DRAM market. The reasons for that are transitions to bigger memory dies as well as growing demand for higher memory capacities in general. This year all …

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Even though Samsung Electronics plans to increase its manufacturing capacities for dynamic random access memory later this year, analysts believe that this will not create an oversupply on the DRAM market. The reasons for that are transitions to bigger memory dies as well as growing demand for higher memory capacities in general.

This year all major manufacturers of smartphones and tablets, including Apple, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and other are expected to increase DRAM content per phone. PC manufacturers could also boost DRAM capacities inside their products as a part of preparations for Windows 10 arrival. In addition, the transition to DDR4 memory will be accompanied by transition to 8Gb DRAM ICs to a certain degree. Therefore, the demand for computer memory will increase significantly this year. Thus, even if some DRAM production capacities are added, it is unlikely that they will cause memory prices to drop.

“Actual situation is: DRAM is in shortage overall,” wrote Srini Sundararajan, an analyst with Summit Research, in a note to clients, reports Tech Trader Daily. “Samsung last year had just enough DRAM chips for itself let alone a dream of supplying to Apple and LG. Samsung is like a mouse in a flywheel running in circles to get back the same capacity this year […] This year they are adding capacity just to make up for loss of capacity from the increased die sizes and the more complicated shrink files. As such, capacity and wafer starts per month is likely to be unchanged.”

sk_hynix_ddr4_so_dimm_sodimm_dram

Many believe that Apple’s forthcoming successor of its iPhone 6 (presumably, iPhone 6S) will integrate 2GB of LPDDR3 or LPDDR4 memory instead of 1GB today. This alone would significantly increase demand for computer memory.

Earlier this week it transpired that Apple decided to ink a DRAM supply contract with Samsung in a bid to get enough memory for its next iPhone. For a couple of years Apple has relied on Micron Technology and SK Hynix as their main DRAM suppliers.

According to DRAMeXchange, the world’s largest DRAM market tracker, Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron controlled over 93 per cent of the world’s DRAM supply last quarter. Therefore, these three companies also largely controlled memory prices.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: If additional capacities do not affect DRAM prices in the second half of the year, it makes sense to make memory upgrades now before demand for DRAM will increase in 2H 2015 ahead of the back-to-school and holiday seasons. Still, if you buy expensive enthusiast-class DRAM modules, keep in mind that their prices are relatively stable…

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50% of Samsung’s DRAM will be made using 20nm process in 2015 – report https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/half-of-samsungs-dram-will-be-made-using-20nm-process-tech-this-year-report/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/half-of-samsungs-dram-will-be-made-using-20nm-process-tech-this-year-report/#comments Thu, 19 Feb 2015 23:59:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=236666 Samsung Electronics will lead the market of dynamic random access memory with transition to 20nm fabrication process, a media report citing sources with knowledge of the matter claims. Over half of the company’s DRAM this year will be made using 20nm manufacturing technology. Demand for higher-performance and higher-density computer memory will increase this calendar year. …

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Samsung Electronics will lead the market of dynamic random access memory with transition to 20nm fabrication process, a media report citing sources with knowledge of the matter claims. Over half of the company’s DRAM this year will be made using 20nm manufacturing technology.

Demand for higher-performance and higher-density computer memory will increase this calendar year. In a bid to make 4Gb and 8Gb chips with high clock-rates cost-effectively, DRAM producers need to use thin process technologies. 20nm manufacturing tech is currently the most advanced node to produce this type of products. Therefore, manufacturers who can make memory chips using 20nm fabrication process in high volume will be in a more favourable position than producers without such ability.

More than 50 per cent of Samsung’s DRAM output this year will be made using 20nm manufacturing technology, reports DigiTimes. By contrast, Micron Technology and SK Hynix, two other major DRAM manufacturers, will continue to produce the larger part of their DRAM products using 25nm and 28nm processes. The two companies are only starting to use 20nm node, therefore, it will take them some time to ramp up the production.

samsung_64gb_tsv_ddr4_dram_module

According to DRAMeXchange, the world’s largest DRAM market tracker, Samsung began volume production using its 20nm and 23nm technologies in the fourth quarter of 2014. Besides, the yield rate and output of DRAM produced using its 25nm process also increased, which significantly boosted profitability of Samsung’s DRAM business last quarter.

SK Hynix, which will ramp up its transition to 20nm manufacturing process this year, also made significant progress with yield rate and capacity of 25nm process in Q3 and Q4 2014, which helped it to keep profit margins high.

Micron began trial production of DRAM on the 20nm process in the Q4 2014 and has plans to process 80 thousand wafers per month using the technology by the end of 2015. This will help the U.S. supplier keep up with the Korean rivals when it comes to profitability, the market tracker claims.

The situation with Nanya, Winbond and PowerChip is not very good because neither of them currently have 20nm process technology and will have to license it from leading manufacturers. Therefore, their profits this year may feel significant pressure.

DRAMeXchange expects the overall value of the global DRAM market to reach $52.3 billion this year, a 13 per cent growth compared to 2014. In Q4 2014 Samsung lead the DRAM market with 41.4 per sent revenue share. SK Hynix followed the leader with 27.7 per cent share and Micron Technology commanded 24 per cent of shipments.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: To catch up with Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron will have to invest more money in production equipment and fabrication processes. Unfortunately, it is pretty hard to do since the South Korean conglomerate spends more than $10 billion a year on various semiconductor-related activities, according to IC Insights.

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SK Hynix: LPDDR4 memory hits mass production https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/anton-shilov/sk-hynix-lpddr4-memory-hits-mass-production/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/anton-shilov/sk-hynix-lpddr4-memory-hits-mass-production/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2015 08:08:28 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=234853 SK Hynix has announced that its 8Gb LPDDDR4 memory, which is in mass production now, has been chosen by a major smartphone maker for a new flagship model. The forthcoming handset will be among the first phones to use the new type of memory. SK Hynix’s 8Gb LPDDR4 memory chips operate at 3.2GHz effective clock-rate …

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SK Hynix has announced that its 8Gb LPDDDR4 memory, which is in mass production now, has been chosen by a major smartphone maker for a new flagship model. The forthcoming handset will be among the first phones to use the new type of memory.

SK Hynix’s 8Gb LPDDR4 memory chips operate at 3.2GHz effective clock-rate with 1.1V voltage, providing performance improvement and decrease of power consumption compared to devices that rely on LPDDR3 memory. The memory chips are made using 20nm process technology.

The DRAM manufacturer did not reveal any details about the first smartphone that uses LPDDR4 memory, but said that the device is powered by a state of the art SoC (system-on-chip). It is highly likely that the device uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 application processor, which is among the most advanced mobile SoCs today that is also compatible with LPDDR4 memory.

sk_hynix_lpddr4

According to IHS Technology, premium smartphones equipped with 4GB DRAM composed of 8Gb DRAMs will come out in this year and be one of the main products taking 36 per cent of the whole market to exceed portion of those with 3GB in the next year.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Thanks to increased bandwidth provided by LPDDR4 memory, mobile devices will be able to boost screen resolutions.

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Samsung begins mass production of LPDDR4 memory for 4K phones https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/samsung-begins-mass-production-of-lpddr4-memory-for-4k-uhd-phones/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/samsung-begins-mass-production-of-lpddr4-memory-for-4k-uhd-phones/#respond Tue, 23 Dec 2014 17:22:45 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=227945 Samsung Electronics has announced that it has started mass production of 8Gb LPDDR4 memory chips for next-generation smartphones based on advanced application processors. The new handsets will feature displays with ultra-high-definition resolutions as well as new-generation system-on-chips, such as Qualcomm Snapdragon 810. At present Samsung manufactures 8Gb and 6Gb LPDDR4 memory dies using a 20nm-class …

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Samsung Electronics has announced that it has started mass production of 8Gb LPDDR4 memory chips for next-generation smartphones based on advanced application processors. The new handsets will feature displays with ultra-high-definition resolutions as well as new-generation system-on-chips, such as Qualcomm Snapdragon 810.

At present Samsung manufactures 8Gb and 6Gb LPDDR4 memory dies using a 20nm-class process technology. The LPDDR4 memory from Samsung is available as 2GB and 3GB chips rated to run at 3200Mb/s data-rates with 1.1V voltage setting. Thanks to dual-channel 32-bit architecture, each memory chip features peak bandwidth of 12.8GB/s, a rather unprecedented amount for a mobile memory device.

samsung_lpddr4_mass_production

The two-channel architecture reduces the distance data signals must travel from the memory array to the I/O bond pads. This reduces the power required to transmit the large amount of data the LPDDR4 interface requires. Because most of the area of a memory device is taken up by the memory array, doubling the interface area has a minimal impact on the overall footprint, according to JEDEC, a DRAM-standard setting organization. The two-channel architecture also allows the clock and address bus to be grouped together with the data bus. Thus, the skew between data bus to the clock and address bus is minimized, allowing the LPDDR4 chips to reach higher frequencies. This saves power and improves timing margins compared to the LPDDR3 architecture, JEDEC claims.

samsung_smart_LPDDR4_table1

Because of architectural improvements and lowered voltage, LPDDR4 is considerably more energy-efficient than previous-gen solutions. The new LPDDR4 memory consumes approximately 40 per cent less energy at 1.1 volts compared to LPDDR3.

samsung_smart_LPDDR4_chart2

“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.”

Samsung already ships 2GB LPDDR4 and 3GB LPDDR4 DRAM to its customers. The company claims that actual devices featuring the new memory type will hit the market in the first half of 2015. Early next year the company will also start shipments of its 4GB LPDDR4 packages to clients.

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KitGuru Says: While it is not surprising that Samsung is the first company to start volume production and shipments of LPDDR4 memory devices, it will be very interesting to see who will be the first to offer a mass smartphone with a 4K (3840*2160) UHD display resolution.

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JEDEC finalizes LPDDR4 standard, promises up to 4266MT/s data-rates https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/anton-shilov/jedec-finalizes-lpddr4-standard-promises-up-to-4266mts-data-rates/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/anton-shilov/jedec-finalizes-lpddr4-standard-promises-up-to-4266mts-data-rates/#respond Mon, 25 Aug 2014 22:48:43 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=208859 JEDEC, an organization that defines standards for computer memory, on Monday announced that it had finalized the LPDDR4, a next-generation standard for mobile DRAM [dynamic random access memory]. The new technology will enable data rates of up to 4266MT/s and will significantly boost performance of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. “LPDDR3 was an …

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JEDEC, an organization that defines standards for computer memory, on Monday announced that it had finalized the LPDDR4, a next-generation standard for mobile DRAM [dynamic random access memory]. The new technology will enable data rates of up to 4266MT/s and will significantly boost performance of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

“LPDDR3 was an evolutionary change from LPDDR2. With LPDDR4, the architecture is completely different,” said Hung Vuong, Chairman of JC-42.6. “We knew the only way to achieve the performance that the industry required was to make a total departure from previous generations.”

LPDDR4 launches with an I/O data rate of 3200MT/s [megatransfers per second] and a target speed of 4266MT/s, compared to 2133MT/s for LPDDR3. In order to achieve such significant performance improvement, the members of the committee had to completely redesign the architecture, going from a one-channel die with 16 bits per channel to a two-channel die with 16 bits per channel, for a total of 32 bits.

sk_hynix_lpddr4

The two-channel architecture reduces the distance data signals must travel from the memory array to the I/O bond pads. This reduces the power required to transmit the large amount of data the LPDDR4 interface requires. Because most of the area of a memory device is taken up by the memory array, doubling the interface area has a minimal impact on the overall footprint, according to JEDEC. The two-channel architecture also allows the clock and address bus to be grouped together with the data bus. Thus, the skew between data bus to the clock and address bus is minimized, allowing the LPDDR4 chips to reach higher frequencies. This saves power and improves timing margins compared to the LPDDR3 architecture, JEDEC claims. The new LPDDR4 memory consumes approximately 40% less energy at 1.1 volts compared to LPDDR3.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have been supplying samples of LPDDR4 memory chips to makers of mobile devices and developers of mobile application processors since early 2014. It is expected that actual devices featuring LPDDR4 will emerge sometimes in 2015.

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KitGuru Says: Thanks to the arrival of LPDDR4 memory mobile devices will get significantly more powerful thanks to higher memory bandwidth. Besides, since the new memory consumes less power, it is logical to expect the future mobile gadgets to get longer battery life too.

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First mobile devices with LPDDR4 memory to emerge in 2015 https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/first-mobile-devices-with-lpddr4-memory-to-emerge-in-2015/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/first-mobile-devices-with-lpddr4-memory-to-emerge-in-2015/#respond Thu, 31 Jul 2014 13:18:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=205422 Although Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have been sampling LPDDR4 memory for mobile devices for well over half of a year now, actual devices featuring the new type of low-power dynamic random access memory will not hit the market until the second half of next year. According to market analysts, the fourth-generation mobile DRAM will …

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Although Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have been sampling LPDDR4 memory for mobile devices for well over half of a year now, actual devices featuring the new type of low-power dynamic random access memory will not hit the market until the second half of next year. According to market analysts, the fourth-generation mobile DRAM will only be required by next-gen application processors.

Flagship smartphones and media tablets from leading manufacturers will likely start to utilise LPDDR4 memory in the second half of 2015, according to Mike Howard, a senior principal analyst at IHS, reports Computerworld. Mainstream devices will start to use the LPDDR4 technology in 2016, according to the analyst. Previously it was believed that the first devices featuring the new memory standard will be available starting from late 2014.

So far only Qualcomm has introduced a system-on-chip that supports LPDDR4 memory. The Snapdragon 810 features four ARM Cortex-A57 and four ARM Cortex-A53 cores, Adreno 430 graphics processing unit with support of 3840*2160 resolution, LPDDR4 memory controller and so on. The chip will become available commercially in the first half of 2015. Apple, Intel and Samsung yet have to announce application processors with LPDDR4 support.

The first LPDDR4 chips operate at 3200Mb/s effective clock-rate and have 8Gb capacity; by contrast the fastest LPDDR chips operate at up to 2133Mb/s data-rate and have up to 4Gb capacity. The new LPDDR4 memory consumes approximately 40% less energy at 1.1 volts (compared to LPDDR3), according to Samsung. Mobile devices with quad-channel LPDDR4 sub-system will feature peak memory bandwidth of 25.6GB/s, which is in line with today’s PCs. The LPDDR4 technology is not based on the DDR4 architecture.

sk_hynix_lpddr4

While the first LPDDR4 devices will arrive somewhat later than originally projected, it is expected that they will become mainstream faster than the LPDDR3 did because the forthcoming mobile application processors will need additional memory bandwidth to support ultra-high-definition video as well as advanced video games.

“Mobile games are becoming increasingly demanding and bandwidth intensive,” said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64. “But faster processors won't have much of an impact on game performance unless more memory bandwidth is also available.”

It is interesting to note that the LPDDR memory is not used solely by ultra-mobile devices. Apple MacBook notebooks utilise LPDDR3 memory in order to cut-down power consumption.

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KitGuru Says: The LPDDR4 memory will further shrink the gap between personal computers and mobile devices. Future smartphones and tablets with quad-channel LPDDR4 memory sub-systems will feature memory bandwidth of 25.6GB/s. Next-generation mainstream personal computers with dual-channel DDR4 (at 2133MHz) will feature memory bandwidth of 34.1GB/s.

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Qualcomm developing eight-core 64-bit app processor – rumour https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/qualcomm-developing-eight-core-64-bit-app-processor-rumour/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/anton-shilov/qualcomm-developing-eight-core-64-bit-app-processor-rumour/#comments Fri, 24 Jan 2014 23:39:19 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=174185 Qualcomm, the world’s largest developer of application processors for mobile devices, will not be the first chip designer to reveal a 64-bit ARM application processor, but what it reportedly plans to offer (if the unofficial information is accurate) will probably outshine everything that has been introduced so far. Qualcomm is working on a new system-on-chip …

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Qualcomm, the world’s largest developer of application processors for mobile devices, will not be the first chip designer to reveal a 64-bit ARM application processor, but what it reportedly plans to offer (if the unofficial information is accurate) will probably outshine everything that has been introduced so far.

Qualcomm is working on a new system-on-chip that is expected to feature eight Krait64 general-purpose cores designed in-house and compatible with ARMv8 architecture with up to 4MB of cache and up to 2.50GHz clock-rate, Adreno 430 graphics engine with up to 500MHz frequency, LPDDR3/LPDDR4 memory controller and various special-purpose hardware/accelerators, report MyDrivers and PadNews web-sites. The chip is forecasted to be made using 20nm process technology at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

It is reported that the new SoC is aimed at high-performance mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.), will carry Snapdragon 810 brand name and will exist in two versions: MSM8994 with integrated baseband and APQ8094 that will require external telecommunication chip.

qualcomm_artwork_2

Unlike Samsung Electronics, Qualcomm does not utilize ARM’s Big.Little architecture that allows to install low-power and high-performance cores into one chip and then share the workload between different types of processors to save power or to boost performance. All Krait64 general-purpose cores inside the Snapdragon 810 will be similar and be able to provide extreme performance.

The world’s first ARMv8-compatible 64-bit application processor for mobile devices is Apple A7 with two Apple Cyclone cores and ImgTec PowerVR 6-series “Rogue” graphics engine. Nvidia Corp. earlier this year introduced its Tegra K1 app processor with two 64-bit Denver cores and Kepler graphics engine. Eight cores of Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 will likely leave both competitors in the dust in applications that actually take advantage of them.

Qualcomm did not comment on the news-story.

KitGuru Says: Eight 64-bit cores for a mobile application processor in 2014? Sounds like an overkill to say at least, especially keeping in mind that those cores consume energy and capacities of batteries are limited. In case Qualcomm’s mobile SoC this year will feature eight Krait64 cores, how many cores will the rumoured server-class ARMv8-compatible chip from Qualcomm integrate?

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Samsung and SK Hynix Unveil Next-Gen LPDDR4 Memory https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/samsung-and-sk-hynix-unveil-next-gen-lpddr4-memory/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/anton-shilov/samsung-and-sk-hynix-unveil-next-gen-lpddr4-memory/#comments Wed, 01 Jan 2014 18:16:48 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=170003 Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, two leading manufacturers of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), this week introduced next-generation LPDDR4 memory for mobile devices. The two companies have already shipped samples of the new mobile DRAM to leading designers of mobile system-on-chip (SoC) solutions. Samsung’s and SK Hynix’s first LPDDR4 chips operate at 3200Mb/s effective clock-rate …

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Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, two leading manufacturers of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), this week introduced next-generation LPDDR4 memory for mobile devices. The two companies have already shipped samples of the new mobile DRAM to leading designers of mobile system-on-chip (SoC) solutions.

Samsung’s and SK Hynix’s first LPDDR4 chips operate at 3200Mb/s effective clock-rate and have 8Gb capacity. The new LPDDR4 interface will provide 50% higher performance than the fastest LPDDR3 or DDR3 memory that are used today; besides, LPDDR4 consumes approximately 40% less energy at 1.1 volts (compared to LPDDR3), according to Samsung. The new memory dies can be stacked up and provide not only speed, but also up to 4GB of capacity for mobile devices.

“The challenge is how to achieve that energy reduction at 3200Mb/s, and the sub-committee had to look at architectural, signaling and voltage changes,” said Hung Vuong, chairman of JEDEC's JC-42.6 subcommittee for low power memories, in an interview with EETimes-India. “The objective is to improve timing closure, as well as reducing internal DRAM die power.”

sk_hynix_lpddr4

JEDEC, a computer memory standard setting organization, recently approved 2133Mb/s data rate for currently-used LPDDR3. At the same time, the group started to look into extending LPDDR4 mobile memory data rate to 4266Mb/s.

“Our goal was to double the bandwidth performance, but also we took a much harder look at the power usage,” said Dan Skinner, director of architecture development at Micron Technology and a JC-42.6 Subcommittee member. “Once [desired] performance level is reached, then doing so at the best power point is the top priority.

Memory bandwidth is needed in mobile devices as they gain performance in graphics processing amid increasing resolution of displays on tablets and smartphones. In order to render graphics comparable to Unreal Engine 3-based Infinity Blade 3 game for Apple’s iPad and iPhone, a lot of graphics processing horsepower is needed. Rendering in high resolutions requires high memory bandwidth.

apple_iphone_5s_infinity_blade

Apple iPhone 5s rendering Infinity Blade 3

Pure performance is not the only thing that the next-generation mobile memory standard brings. High data rate enables mobile devices makers to simplify their designs. Smartphones and tablets that are based on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 805 application processor will have to rely on quad-channel memory interface and LPDDR3 type of memory to get up to 8.5GB/s maximum bandwidth for the application processor, which is a data rate comparable to modern mainstream PCs. With LPDDR4, such memory bandwidth could be achieved in dual-channel mode, which results into much less expensive designs and devices.

The LPDDR4 standard is expected to be formally finalized in 2014. The new type of memory is projected to be used inside flagship mobile devices at the end of 2014 and is anticipated to be commercialized regularly from 2015, according to SK Hynix. The fourth-generation mobile DRAM standard is believed to become mainstream type of memory for mobile devices starting from 2016, the DRAM company claims.

KitGuru Says: Modern mainstream PCs based on Intel Core i7 “Ivy Bridge” microprocessors with dual-channel memory controller (and 1600MHz memory) and overclocking feature 25.6GB/s memory bandwidth. Mobile devices with quad-channel LPDDR4 will be able to hit exactly the same target: 25.6GB/s.

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