Samsung debuts new mobile DRAM, touts PC-like performance
Samsung on Tuesday released its new 20-nanometer (nm) class mobile DRAM, which it says is the industry's first and offers PC-like performance for multimedia-intensive features on high-end smartphones and tablet devices.
In a statement issued today, the South Korean electronics manufacturer announced its 4-gigabit (GB) LPDDR3 (low power double data rate 3) mobile DRAM, which will be manufactured based on the 20nm process, as it looks to keep ahead of the industry competition.
The company said the new memory chip has performance levels comparable to the standard DRAM used PCs, and it is an "attractive solution" for demanding multimedia functionalities on today's top-tier mobile devices.
For instance, the chip can transmit data at up to 2,133 megabits per second (Mbps) per pin, which is more than double the performance of the preceding LPDDR2 standard of 800 Mbps. In practical terms, Samsung said it is now possible to transmit three full high-definition (HD) videos totaling 17GBs in length in a second using the chip embedded in a mobile device.
Jun Young-Hyun, executive vice president of memory sales & marketing at Samsung Electronics, said in the statement: "By providing the most efficient next-generation mobile memory with a very large data capacity, we are now enabling OEMs (original equipment makers) to introduce even more innovative designs in the marketplace."
The company added it plans to increase production of its 20nm-class mobile DRAM later this year.
Last week, it was reported that Samsung is having problems producing enough mobile DRAM for both its devices as well as for other OEMs due to overwhelming demand for smartphones globally. Shin Jong Kyun, head of Samsung's mobile business, reported said the company faces the possibility of having to buy DRAM chips from its rival SK Hynix in order to keep up.
It also announced last week it generated operating profit of 8.78 trillion won (US$7.9 billion) for its first quarter earnings report. Its IT & Mobile Communications (IM) Division, in particular, contributed more than half of the total revenues in the quarter with 32.82 trillion won (US$29.5 billion) as consumers lapped up its Galaxy S3 and Note 2 devices.