Samsung Electronics on Thursday said it has used its 50-nanometer circuit technology to develop the first 4-Gb DDR3 PC memory chip, which the vendor claims offers more capacity at significantly less power consumption than current DDR3 products.
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Samsung is targeting manufacturers' new generation of "green" PCs with its new technology, which will be used in 16-GB dual in-line memory modules, or RDIMM, for servers; 8-GB unbuffered DIMM for workstations and desktop PCs; and 8-GB small-outline DIMM for laptops.
DDR3, a type of DRAM technology, has several advantages over its DDR2 predecessor. Among the primary benefits is the ability to transfer input/output data at eight times the rate, while providing a 30% reduction in power consumption.
"We have leveraged our strength in innovation to develop the first 4-Gb DDR3, in leading the industry to higher DRAM densities," Kevin Lee, VP for technical marketing at Samsung Semiconductor, said in a statement.
By applying its dual-die package technology, Samsung said it can package two 16-GB modules in one dual-die package for a maximum of 32 GB, which is twice the capacity of products based on the previous highest chip density.
Samsung's latest technology operates at 1.35 volts and has a maximum speed of 1.6 Gbps. A 16-GB module, for example, can consume 40% less power than a 2-Gb DDR3 module because the higher density 50-nm technology uses half the number of chips, 32 versus 64.
Samsung plans to convert all its DRAM products to the 50-nm process. The company released its first product in September with the development of a 50-nm 2-Gb DDR3 DRAM. The company also offers 1-Gb DDR3 DRAM.
The number of PCs shipping with DDR3 system memory is expected to increase steadily. DDR3 is expected to account for 72% of the DRAM market in terms of units sold by 2011 from 29% this year, according to IDC.
The market, however, has been hit extremely hard by the economic downturn, which has caused a slump in the PC and consumer electronics market. Samsung this month reported its first-ever quarterly loss, because of a drop in sales of appliances, liquid crystal displays, and memory chips.
