Samsung has completed its first 10-nanometer 8-gigabit LPDDR5 DRAM prototype, a memory module that’s faster than previous generations that could be included in future iPhone models.
The new memory module is claimed to have a data rate of up to 6,400 megabits per second, approximately 1.5 times as fast as the 4,266 megabit per second LPDDR4X, which is currently being used in smartphones, including the iPhone X. According to Samsung, the LPDDR5 memory is capable of sending 51.2 gigabytes of data in a second, which it equates to 14 full HD video files of 3.7 gigabytes each.
The 10-nanometer memory module will arrive in two versions, with a 6,400-megabit model having an operating voltage of 1.1 volts, along with a 5,500-megabit version requiring 1.05 volts.
Samsung has also cited a number of architectural enhancementsincluding doubling the number of memory banks within a DRAM cell from eight to 16, and the use of a “highly advanced, speed-optimized circuit architecture” to verify performance.
The memory chip will also lower its voltage use in accordance with the operating speed of the application processor. As such, the unit will minimize overwriting cells with “0” values, and have a “deep sleep mode” that cuts power usage to half the “idle mode” of LPDDR4X DRAM. Samsung has estimated that this will provide power consumption reductions of up to 30 percent, in turn helping to extend the battery life of mobile devices.
The company has yet to state as to when the memory module will be available in consumer drives, as Samsung has completed testing and validation of a prototype package. Samsung does plan to begin mass production of the chip, alongside DDR5 and GDDR6 “in line with the demands of global customers,” but it is unclear if that means the first devices using LPDDR5 are months or years away.
Apple currently uses the older LPDDR3 RAM in some of its MacBook lineup, which is roughly half the speed of its LPDDR4 equivalents. The use of that type of memory has been an issue for some time, as Apple was stuck offering a maximum of 16 gigabytes of RAM in its MacBook Pro line due to its use of Intel processors that supported LPDDR3 but not LPDDR4, which would have enabled Apple to offer 32-gigabyte models.
The recent 2018 MacBook Pro refresh included the option to buy a MacBook Pro with 32 gigabytes of memory, but the change wasn’t caused through using a processor with native LPDDR4 support. Instead, Apple moved to using DDR4 RAM in the new model, memory that is more power-hungry than LPDDR4.
The LPDDR5 RAM may not be available for some time, as Intel would have to bring out a processor that natively supports it.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider