Samsung Electronics has unveiled the industry’s first high-performance, low-power next-generation DRAM module, set to revolutionize the PC and server market. The new module combines low-power ‘LPDDR’ DRAM, offering improved performance, power efficiency, and easy replacement and upgrade capabilities. Samsung Electronics’ LPCAMM (LPDDR attachment module) is aimed at PC and laptop manufacturers seeking high-capacity, low-power DRAM options. The innovative design, which is pluggable and detachable, improves performance by 50% and power efficiency by 70%. With plans to expand into the data center market, Samsung Electronics hopes to meet the growing demand for thin laptops with LPCAMM. The company aims to leverage LPCAMM to establish its dominance in the global low-power DRAM market, leveraging its current 57.6% market share. Samsung Electronics envisions a revolutionary era in AI and plans to launch cutting-edge memory solutions that will reshape the industry.
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Entered 2023.09.26 18:37 Modified 2023.09.26 18:48 Basis A12
Samsung Electronics is developing the first high-performance, low-power next-generation DRAM module
Connected to a laptop, PC, etc.
Save money on server upgrades
“Focusing on advanced memory in the age of AI”
Samsung Electronics has developed the world’s first next-generation module product for PCs and servers that bundles low-power ‘LPDDR’ DRAM. DRAM performance and power efficiency have improved, and it is easy to replace and upgrade. There are evaluations that it will be a game changer that will lead to a paradigm shift in the DRAM market.
Samsung Electronics announced on the 26th, “We have developed the industry’s first 7.5Gbps (gigabit per second) LPCAMM (LPDDR attachment module).” LPCAMM is a modular product manufactured by packaging several LPDDR, low power DRAM for mobile use. Samsung Electronics explains that it is aimed at PC and laptop manufacturers who want low-power, high-capacity DRAM. Currently, laptop manufacturers use the ‘on-board’ method, which connects multiple LPDDRs directly to the motherboard, or the ‘So-DIMM’ method, which produces regular DRAM in module form . Onboard DRAM is attached to the motherboard, so it is difficult to replace it, and SODIM has the disadvantage of low power efficiency.
Samsung Electronics introduced a product that achieves high performance and low power consumption through LPCAMM and is also pluggable and detachable. The LPCAMM mounting area is up to 60% smaller than the SODIM area. This allows the laptop to be made thinner. Performance is up to 50% better and power efficiency is up to 70% better.
Samsung Electronics plans to respond to the demand for thin laptops with LPCAMM. Bae Yong-cheol, Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Memory Business Division, said, “As the demand for low-power DRAM grows, LPCAMM will be expanded to include the data center market.”
‘Game changer’ in the laptop/PC market… Performance improved by 50% and power efficiency improved by 70%
So far the Low Power Double Data Rate (LPDDR) family, which stands for low power and small DRAM, has been mainly applied to mobile devices such as smartphones. Recently, as ‘power efficiency’ has become a hot topic throughout the industry, even PC and server companies are demanding small DRAMs with low power consumption and high performance. Samsung Electronics introduced a solution by developing LPCAMM (LPDDR attachment module), which improves performance and power efficiency by bundling multiple LPDDRs.
○ Aimed at PC and laptop customers
The 7.5Gbps (transfer speed of 7.5 gigabits per second) LPCAMM, unveiled by Samsung Electronics on the 26th, is an LPDDR-based package product. LPCAMM mainly targeted PC and laptop customers. Until now, personal computers have been equipped with DRAM of the on-board type or So-DIMM (Miniature Dual Inline Memory Module). The on-board method is to attach LPDDR DRAM directly to the motherboard, and the So-DIMM is to place DDR DRAM on both sides of a printed circuit board (PCB) and insert it into the device. The on-board method has advantages such as miniaturization and low power consumption because it uses LPDDR, but it is difficult to replace because it is installed directly on the motherboard. So-DIMM is removable in module form, but has been evaluated as having space efficiency limitations due to the use of DDR DRAM.
LPCAMM has high performance and low power characteristics by using LPDDR in module form. At the same time, by allowing it to be attached and detached from the device, it increases design flexibility for manufacturers and convenience for replacement and upgrades for users. For example, LPCAMM reduces the area up to 60% compared to So-DIMM, making it possible to produce laptops less than 10 mm thick.
○ Application expansion to servers
Recently, data center customers are also considering applying LPCAMM to their servers. This is because it has good power efficiency and there is no need to replace the motherboard when upgrading. A Samsung Electronics official said, “LPCAMM is advantageous in terms of medium to long-term maintenance and upgrade costs,” and added, “We expect that applications such as artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) will expand. .” Samsung Electronics plans to continue its ‘big gap’ in the 33 trillion won (from 2022) global low power DRAM (LPDDR) market with LPCAMM. According to market research company Omdia, in the first quarter of this year, Samsung Electronics’ low-power DRAM market share was 57.6%, and the gap with the second-placed company SK Hynix (18.8%) is close to 40 percentage points. A Samsung Electronics official said, “The introduction of LPCAMM will be a game changer in the PC and laptop markets.”
○GDDR7, leads the market by LLW DRAM
Samsung Electronics’ mid- to long-term goal is to change the paradigm of the AI semiconductor market through memory semiconductors. Due to the spread of AI, the amount of data processing devices worldwide is expected to increase from 2 zettabytes (ZB) in 2010 to 100ZB this year and 181ZB in 2025. This means that the importance of memory semiconductors continues to grow.
Samsung Electronics unveiled the world’s first high-capacity DRAM for the AI era, including DDR5 32Gb and Graphics Double Data Rate (GDDR) 7. LLW DRAM is specialized for ‘on-device AI’, AI that runs on smartphones, self-driving cars, etc. is also being developed with a target date of late 2024. Next-generation DRAM that can be directly integrated without being placed around the central processing unit (CPU) is also known to have planned with large customers. A Samsung Electronics official emphasized, “We will launch a cutting-edge memory solution that changes the world with technology that is not available in the world,” and added, “We will lead the memory industry as it enters a revolutionary era in AI . period.”
Correspondent Choi Ye-rin/Hwang Jeong-su rambutan@hankyung.com
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