Samsung Producing Industry’s Highest Density Mobile DRAM, Using 30nm-class Technology

SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, announced today that it started the industry’s first production of four gigabit (Gb), low power double-data-rate 2 (LPDDR2) DRAM using 30 nanometer (nm) class* technology earlier this month. The mobile DRAM chip will help the market to deliver thinner, lighter smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, with longer battery life, at a level unachievable until now.

“Mass production of 4Gb LPDDR2 is a tremendous advancement for the mobile industry, one that will enable our OEM customers to move quickly in launching better differentiated high-performance mobile devices into the market”

“Mass production of 4Gb LPDDR2 is a tremendous advancement for the mobile industry, one that will enable our OEM customers to move quickly in launching better differentiated high-performance mobile devices into the market,” said Wanhoon Hong, executive vice president, memory sales & marketing, Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will continue to take the initiative in accelerating growth of the market by providing high-performance, high-density green memory products as often and as early as possible.”

Samsung developed the 4Gb LPDDR2 DRAM in December of last year and began mass producing it earlier this month. Compared to the previous 40nm-class* 2Gb LPDDR2 DRAM, the 30nm-class 4Gb LPDDR2 DRAM increases productivity by 60 percent.

The new chip also combines high performance and energy efficiency. It delivers a data transmission speed of 1,066Mbps, which is more than double that of today’s MDDR, which operates between 333 to 400Mbps.

In addition, the chip enables a thinner, memory solution. When creating a 1GB (8Gb) LPDDR2 package with the previously highest density chips of 2Gb, four chips had to be stacked together. With the new 4Gb LPDDR2, stacking only two chips will achieve the same density, while providing a 20 percent package height reduction from 1.0mm to 0.8mm. It also consumes 25 percent less power.

Samsung plans to produce the 4Gb LPDDR2 chip based 1GB (8Gb) packages beginning this month, and plans to produce 2GB (16Gb) packages consisting of four 4Gb devices next month to accommodate a growing need for high-density mobile DRAM solutions.

Samsung expects that the new 4Gb LPDDR2 based solutions will benefit mobile device makers greatly as they launch competitive products using dual-core processors, which require mobile memory with higher performance and density.

According to iSuppli, shipments of mid to high-end smartphones will increase at about an 18 percent annual rate, from 2009 to 2014. This is expected to lead to dramatic expansion in the use of mobile DRAM, which iSuppli projected will grow at an annual rate of 64 percent during the same period.

For more information about Samsung Green memory, visit www.samsung.com/GreenMemory

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2010 consolidated sales of US$135.8 billion. Employing approximately 190,500 people in 206 offices across 68 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, semiconductor chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

* Editors’ Note: 30nm-class means a process technology node somewhere between 30 and 39 nanometers, while 40nm-class means a process technology node somewhere between 40 and 49 nanometers.