Samsung introduces the 8GB mobile DRAM era

Samsung introduces the 8GB mobile DRAM era. October. 21, 2016 07:10. by 김지현기자 jhk85@donga.com. Samsung Electronics has introduced the "8 gigabyte mobile DRAM" era for the first time in the world. Given that latest premium smart-phones such as "Galaxy S7" are equipped with 4GB of mobile DRAM, the capacity will be doubled.

According to the Korean electronics giant on Thursday, it has initiated mass production of 8GB mobile DRAMs based on the 10-nano 16GB LPDDR4.

The 10-nano 16GB LPDDR4 came just after 14 months since Samsung first churned out its 20-nano 12GB LPDDR4 DRAMs in last August. As the first among its global peers to mass-produce 10-nano DRAM this April, the company has applied the world’s first 10-nano manufacturing process to its mobile DRAM. "By applying the 10-nano design and our exclusive low-power technology, the new DRAM has doubled in capacity and is twice more energy-efficient in terms of unit capacity (GB) compared to the existing 20-nano 4GB mobile DRAM," Samsung said.

More mobile memory means more data can be stored in mobile devices. The 4GB RAM was equipped in Samsung's Galaxy S7 and LG's V20. Apple released its "iPhone 7 Plus" this year with the new 3GB. Until now, the most powerful mobile device with the highest DRAM was 6GB equipped in Chinese smart-phone manufacturers such as Vivo and Xiaomi.

Experts predict that smart-phones will outpace laptops, given that most of the current laptops are powered by 4GB DRAMs. At the current time, only the latest premium high performance laptops use 8GB DRAMs. Once equipped with 8GB DRAM, however, mobile devices are also likely to run games and videos requiring heavy duty, just like they currently require on premium desktops.

"The mass production of 8GB mobile DRAM will contribute to global clients in delivering next-generation flagship mobile devices on-time," said Choi Joo-sun, executive vice president of Samsung Electronics' mobile business division. "We will also strengthen technological partnerships in various areas including dual cameras, 4K ultra-high definition and virtual reality.