Samsung Set to Mass Produce New Chip for Cloud

A 12nm-Class DDR5 DRAM is coming to data centers near you.

Samsung Electronics has announced a new DRAM for high-performance computing, data centers and AI applications. This 16-gigabit DDR5 DRAM will utilize 12nm-class process technology and has completed product evaluations for compatibility with AMD.

A 16-gigabit DDR5 DRAM with 12nm-class process technology. (Image Courtesy of Samsung Electronics).

A 16-gigabit DDR5 DRAM with 12nm-class process technology. (Image Courtesy of Samsung Electronics).

“Innovation often requires close collaboration with industry partners to push the bounds of technology,” said Joe Macri, Senior VP, Corporate Fellow and Client, Compute and Graphics CTO at AMD. “We are thrilled to once again collaborate with Samsung, particularly on introducing DDR5 memory products that are optimized and validated on ‘Zen’ platforms.”

The new chip was made possible thanks to:

  • A new high-κ dielectric material, which can increase cell capacitance.
  • Proprietary design technology which can improve circuit characteristics.
  • Advanced, multi-layer extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
  • High die density, which enables a 20 percent gain in wafer productivity.

“Our 12nm-range DRAM will be a key enabler in driving market-wide adoption of DDR5 DRAM,” said Jooyoung Lee, Executive Vice President of DRAM Product & Technology at Samsung Electronics. “With exceptional performance and power efficiency, we expect our new DRAM to serve as the foundation for more sustainable operations in areas such as next-generation computing, data centers and AI-driven systems.”

As for speed, the new DRAM chip can work at up to 7.2 gigabits per second. Samsung explains that this should be enough to process two 30 gigabyte UHD movies in a second. An added bonus is that this speed doesn’t translate into more energy usage. The new chip will consume 23 percent less power than its previous iteration. This is perfect for an industry that is looking to find new ways to lower environmental impacts without compromising on computational abilities.

Samsung reports that the new chip is set to start mass production in 2023.

Written by

Shawn Wasserman

For over 10 years, Shawn Wasserman has informed, inspired and engaged the engineering community through online content. As a senior writer at WTWH media, he produces branded content to help engineers streamline their operations via new tools, technologies and software. While a senior editor at Engineering.com, Shawn wrote stories about CAE, simulation, PLM, CAD, IoT, AI and more. During his time as the blog manager at Ansys, Shawn produced content featuring stories, tips, tricks and interesting use cases for CAE technologies. Shawn holds a master’s degree in Bioengineering from the University of Guelph and an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.