Memory Archives - Gizmochina

China’s Strategic Advancements in the Trade War with the US: YMTC’s Aim for Self-Sufficiency in Semiconductor

Oğuz Çakır — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 16:52:42 +0000

The trade war between China and the US continues at full speed. The technology sector, as always, is the one most affected by the tensions between the two countries. The US government bans the sale of high value-added technology products to some Chinese companies due to security concerns, while the Asian country retaliates with difficulties in supplying critical raw materials. However, both countries are not solely focusing on aggressive tactics.

For instance, US companies are seeking alternative raw materials for batteries and other technologies, while Chinese companies strive to develop the technologies that are not being sold to them. Recently, China’s leading memory chip manufacturer, YMTC, has made advancements in producing advanced 3D NAND products using locally sourced equipment. Here are the details…

China’s YMTC Advancing Self-Sufficiency in 3D NAND Flash Chip Production with Local Equipment

According to the latest reports, China’s leading memory chip maker, Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC), is reportedly making progress in producing advanced 3D NAND flash chip products using only domestically sourced equipment. The top-secret project, named Wudangshan, has placed significant orders with Chinese suppliers such as Naura Technology Group. YMTC’s aim is to help China become self-sufficient in semiconductor production, which has been hindered by restrictions on the export of advanced chip-making tools by the US, citing concerns about technology falling into the hands of the Chinese military.

However, the “choke points” in China’s chip manufacturing supply chain, where domestic alternatives are not yet available, remain a challenge for YMTC. These include metrology tools from US equipment maker KLA and lithography systems from Dutch company ASML and Japanese vendors Nikon and Canon. Despite the challenges, YMTC has received fresh funding from state-backed investors, including the “Big Fund”, which is positive news for the company after being placed on a US trade blacklist last year.

If successful, the Wudangshan project would be a breakthrough for China’s semiconductor industry, as it could help the country compete with other advanced chip manufacturers like Samsung. However, it remains to be seen how YMTC will overcome the choke points in its chip manufacturing supply chain.

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Micron Unveils 24GB and 48GB DDR5 Memory Modules

Oğuz Çakır — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 10:40:09 +0000

Micron, a leading supplier of memory and storage solutions, recently introduced new DDR5 memory modules in 24GB and 48GB capacities. The modules are compatible with AMD EXPO and Intel XMP 3.0 profiles, making them easy to set up and use with desktop PCs running the AMD Ryzen 7000 series And Intel 12th and 13th Gen Core processors.

Micron’s new DDR5 memory modules feature 5200 MT/s and 5600 MT/s data transfer rates and CL46 latency at 1.1V. DDR5-5600 DIMMs come in traditional 8GB, 16GB and 32GB versions, but the new 24GB and 48GB models stand out because they’re based on 24Gb memory chips, while traditional Dimensions may use 16Gb DRAM ICs. Meanwhile, DDR5-5200 modules are only available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB sizes.

The 24GB and 48GB capacities are ideal for next-generation server platforms because they allow systems to balance memory capacity and core count, reducing cost. Additionally, AMD EXPO and Intel XMP 3.0 profiles, designed primarily for enthusiasts, are supported, suggesting that these Modules are for the desktop.

Using a few 24GB or two 48GB modules instead of a pair of 32GB and 64GB DIMMs allows you to build a PC with 48GB or 96GB of dual-channel memory, which is less expensive than a machine with 64GB or 128GB of RAM. Meanwhile, capacities like 48GB and 96GB are more suitable for modern CPUs with 16 or 24 cores – For example, if you’re doing a virtual machine, you might get 2GB or 3GB per core.

Micron has not revealed suggested prices for its DDR5-5200 and DDR5-5600 modules. However, given the expected low PC demand in Q1 and the expected 18-23% drop in DDR5 SDRAM prices in Q1 2023, new memory modules are expected to be relatively cheap, although Their high capacity and higher performance.

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Micron 1-Beta DRAM Mass Production starts in Q4 2022, Here are the Details

Leo Wong De Quan — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 15:25:01 +0000

Micron Technology is a US-based multinational semiconductor company that has operations in Japan and Taiwan for its chipmaking business. And as both Nikkei Asia and ITHome report, the tech giant will start mass-producing advanced DRAM memory chips at its Japanese Hiroshima plant in Q4 this year.

ITHome reports that on a press media visit to Micron’s A3 chip manufacturing factory, Micron‘s Taiwanese division director, Lu Donghui announced that the A3 factory will be introducing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment in the second half of the year, to prepare early for the mass production of 1-gamma DRAM that is due to launch in 2024.

And as for 1-Beta DRAM Mass Production, it is reported that 1-Beta DRAM will be initially manufactured in Japan, and then the production will switch over to the Taiwanese plant later. For context, the current 1-Alpha DRAM is manufactured in the Taiwanese plant.

And the report by ITHome seems to be valid, as another news outlet, Nikkei Asia has reached out to Chief Business Officer at Micron, Sumit Sadana, regarding the news of 1-Beta DRAM production.

Nikkei Asia quotes Sadana that the company will start mass-producing advanced DRAM memory chips at its Hiroshima plant by the end of the year, which falls in Q4 2022.

The company is coordinating with the Japanese government and business partners, such as equipment makers, to start producing them in Japan as well, Sadana said in an interview. He did not reveal the size of the investment in the Hiroshima plant but said manufacturing such chips generally requires new equipment and clean rooms.

Micron is expected to determine the scale of its investment based on government subsidies and other factors.

DRAM is used for temporary data storage in a wide variety of electronics, including smartphones and servers. And for Micron’s naming scheme, the company had already mass-produced its 1X, 1Y, 1Z and 1-alpha DRAM. The 1Xnm process is equivalent to 16-19nm, 1Ynm is equivalent to 14-16nm, and the 1Znm process is equivalent to 12-14nm. According to industry sources, the latest 1-alpha, 1-beta and 1-gamma may be equivalent to 14-12nm, 12-10nm and 10nm respectively

Micron has announced in 2021 plans to invest $150 billion in memory manufacturing and research and development worldwide over the next decade. With the company laying out plans for 1-beta production, industry watchers are looking to see where it will manufacture the next-generation 1-gamma DRAM, which is targeted for mass production in 2024.

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512GB of RAM on a Single RAM Stick, Samsung Reveals Revolutionary DDR5 7200MHz RAM

Leo Wong De Quan — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 04:00:37 +0000

Have you ever encountered a situation where your personal desktop or laptop did not have enough RAM to run a task? Or was your RAM not sufficient enough to prevent the programme from stuttering? And was that task keeping 15 tabs open on Google Chrome?

If you answered yes to any of the 3 questions above, then Samsung might have the solution for you. Introducing Samsung’s latest DDR5 RAM solution, where technology now enables a user to possess 512GB of DDR5 memory on a single RAM stick.

Source: Samsung

As one of the current industry-leading suppliers of DDR4 memory, Samsung is planning to take the lead in the development of DDR5 RAM. Recently Samsung posted a video on its YouTube channel, highlighting the latest features of Samsung DDR5-7200 module technology.

Samsung‘s new 512GB DDR5 RAM modules refine the firm’s layer stacking memory packing tech, as used in its latest DDR4 memory modules. In the diagram below, you can compare the difference between Samsung’s 4-layer DDR4 memory chips, with the 8-layer DDR5 chips, both connected using Samsung’s Through Silicon Via technology.

Source: Samsung

Through grinding of the silicon layers Samsung has been able to make the constituent dies 40 per cent thinner, and similarly reduced layer spacing – thus these much denser DDR5 integrated chipsets are actually thinner, at 1.0mm vs 1.2mm. In turn, Samsung will be able to manufacture a single 512GB RAM stick with 8 stacked DRAMs connected together.

Source: Samsung

Last but not least, Samsung claims its DDR5 technology is twice as fast as the previous generation, claiming speeds of up to more than 6400Mbps.

Source: Samsung

However, the increase in performance does not affect power efficiency because Samsung’s DDR5 technology is actually 30% more power-efficient than its previous generation thanks to the lower required voltages to run the DDR5 RAM.

Source: Samsung

Samsung has mentioned that it will be supplying DDR5 RAM to data centres, smartphone manufacturers and laptop manufacturers alike. And whether 512GB DDR5 RAM sticks will reach the hands of consumers, is a question reserved to be answered in the 2020s.

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DDR3 Soon To Be Phased Out in 2022, Following Samsung and SK Hynix Plans to Cease Production

Leo Wong De Quan — Sat, 02 Apr 2022 10:30:24 +0000

As the electronic devices of today keep getting more technologically advanced year by year, as consumers, we demand more memory and faster speeds for smoother operations across a wide variety of applications. DRAM memory has become an essential electronic component in keeping our devices running smoothly and fast, and there are a lot of RAM options in the market from the latest DDR5 memory to the cheapest DDR3 memory.

Source: Samsung

However, DDR3 seems to be showing its age in the market, as the technology initially launched in 2007 turns 15 years old today in 2022. With that context in mind, several of the world’s largest DRAM suppliers such as Samsung and SK Hynix have come out to announce that the industry is looking to discontinue the production of DDR3 due to dwindling market demands, and higher demands for its DDR4 and DDR5 options instead.

Source: Samsung

According to Digitimes, Samsung has already notified its customers that the company will keep taking orders on DDR3 RAM until the end of 2022 and fulfil these orders by the end of 2023. Popular 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB DDR3 memory options are expected to have production ceased by the end of 2022.

SK Hynix is also reportedly looking forward to phasing out DDR3 SDRAM production, though it is unclear when the company will cease to supply them. The report from Digitimes, also notes that citing industry sources, DRAM maker Micron, on the other hand, has no plans to cease production of DDR3 RAM at the time of publishing.

Although most electronic devices of today have already transitioned over DDR4 or DDR5 memory for DRAM, there is still a relatively large quantity of inexpensive devices like routers that still use DDR3 memory. In addition, older 2nd hand or refurbished early 2010s laptops that are still in circulation in the market still need DDR3 memory for repairs and replacements.

Redmi WiFi Router Source: Xiaomi

The discontinuation of production could spell a price hike for the inexpensive electronic devices, as manufacturers will now be using the more expensive DDR4 option instead, and that cost of production in the end would be given back to the consumer. On the bright side, technology is finally saying goodbye to the slower DDR3 memory, and providing a faster user experience for all by transitioning to DDR4 and DDR5 in the future.

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Apple’s newly launched iPhone SE comes packed with 4GB of RAM

Jeet — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 00:28:18 +0000

Earlier this week, Apple unveiled a few new devices at a launch event, including the third-generation iPhone SE. The smartphone comes in improved specifications and features compared to its predecessor.

Among the enhancements for the smartphone, Apple has also increased the memory of the device, which the company has not yet advertised.

The new Apple iPhone SE now comes packed with 4GB RAM, which is more than 3GB RAM that the company offers in the second-generation model. This was confirmed by MacRumors with information sourced from strings within the Xcode 13.3 Release Candidate that Apple released following the launch event.

With the increased memory on the device, there should a noticeable performance improvement. More applications, as well as webpages in Safari, can now remain active in the background. Also, some tasks like photo and video editing can also benefit from this.

The Apple iPhone SE 3 features the same 4.7-inch display and keeps the home button with Touch ID, similar to its predecessor. However, it now packs an A15 Bionic processor which also supports 5G connectivity. In the camera department, the smartphone features a 12-megapixel camera sensor with a few new features.

The smartphone will be available for pre-order from 11th March in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, the United Kingdom, and more than 30 other countries and regions. The sale of the device will begin from 18th March.

Samsung’s LPDDR5 uMCP offers flagship experience to low-cost smartphones

Jeet — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 04:39:07 +0000

Samsung Electronics has announced that it has begun mass producing the latest memory solution, LPDDR5 UFS-based multichip package (uMCP). It integrates the fastest LPDDR5 DRAM with the latest UFS 3.1 NAND flash, delivering flagship-level performance to a much broader range of smartphone users.

The South Korean giant reveals that this new uMCP can deliver lightning-fast speed and high storage capacity at very low power. This would allow more consumers to immerse themselves in numerous 5G applications that were previously only available on premium flagship models. Such features include advanced photography, graphics-intensive gaming and augmented reality (AR).

The flagship-level capabilities are made possible by a nearly 50 percent improvement in DRAM performance, from 17 gigabytes per second (GB/s) to 25GB/s, and a doubling of NAND flash performance, from 1.5GB/s to 3GB/s, over the previous LPDDR4X-based UFS 2.2 solution.

It also helps in maximizing space-efficiency within a smartphone by integrating DRAM and NAND storage into a single compact package that measures only 11.5mm x 13mm, allowing more space for other features.

With DRAM capacities ranging from 6GB to 12GB and storage options from 128GB to 512GB, the Samsung uMCP can be easily customized to accommodate the diverse needs of 5G smartphones throughout the mid- and high-end segments.

So far, Samsung has successfully completed compatibility testing of the LPDDR5 uMCP with several global smartphone manufacturers and expects the uMCP-equipped devices to hit mainstream markets starting this month.