"With this module, Samsung has secured the highest level of product and solution competitiveness in the DRAM market for PC, server and mobile applications," said Wanhoon Hong, executive vice president, memory sales & marketing, Samsung Electronics. "We also plan to ship more energy-efficient 4Gb DDR3 DRAM based on 20nm-class* process technology in the second half of this year, which will significantly expand the rapidly growing market for green IT memory solutions. Moreover, we intend to keep delivering the greenest memory products with optimal performance for customers," he added.
Samsung's 30nm-class 4Gb DDR3 chip offers an approximate 50 percent increase in productivity over a 40nm-class 4Gb DDR3, and as a result is expected to achieve rapid market penetration.
Samsung started producing monolithic 4Gb DDR3 DRAM devices based on 30nm-class technology in February, which is only one year after it started producing 40nm-class 4Gb DDR3 DRAM devices. Just two months later, it began to provide 16GB modules to a number of server system manufacturers.
With its new 32GB registered dual inline memory module (RDIMM) and an 8GB small outline dual in-line memory module (SO-DIMM) added this month, Samsung has completed a full product line-up of 30nm-class 4Gb green DDR3-based solutions.
In addition, by offering its new DDR3 modules shortly after providing 30nm-class 4Gb LPDDR2 DRAM, Samsung is now supporting the needs of the entire marketplace for 30nm-class DRAM solutions from mobile devices to enterprise server systems.
Samsung's new 1.35-volt 32GB RDIMM performs at up to 1,866 megabits per second (Mbps), achieving a 40 percent improvement over a 1,333 Mbps, 40nm-class 32GB RDIMM operating at 1.5 volts, therein consuming 18 percent less power. The 40nm-class 32GB RDIMM was bestowed an Eco-Design Award at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011 Innovation Awards. Also, the new 8GB SO-DIMM version processes data at up to 2,133 Mbps when operating at 1.5 volts.
Samsung expects to have more than 10 percent of its total DRAM chip production in 2012 at the 4Gb (or higher) density.
According to IHS, shipments of 4Gb DRAM are expected to account for approximately 10 percent of total DRAM shipments in 2012, 35 percent in 2013 and up to 57 percent in 2014.
Meanwhile, Samsung plans to keep raising awareness of its green memory initiatives and its 'Creating Shared Value' (CSV) approach toward the global IT industry, as it seeks greater collaboration on energy-efficiency with CIOs of global companies.
New MicroSD Cards Faster than Ever
But that's not all Samsung did this summer. It also began production of its high-performance micro Secure Digital (microSD) cards with advanced data transfer speeds that support the performance requirements on fourth generation (4G) smartphones. The new 20-nanometer-class microSD cards have a class 10 speed rating suitable for seamless data storage and transmission of full HD video, one of the features becoming highly popular among 4G smartphone users.
"The industry demand for high-class-rated memory cards addresses the growing performance push for next generation mobile applications in more advanced smartphones including 4G models," said Wanhoon Hong, executive vice president, memory sales & marketing, Samsung Electronics. "As the industry adopts microSD cards with a class 10 rating, the superior data transfer speeds are expected to improve the mobile user experience tremendously."
The new 32GB microSD cards can write at 12 megabytes per second (MB/s) and read at 24MB/s, providing users with more than double the maximum write speeds of a class 4 rated 32GB microSD card. The new 32GB memory card incorporates 32Gb 3-bit NAND flash memory chips and a proprietary 3-bit NAND controller to deliver the high performance.
The new card follows the introduction of Samsung's 30 nanometer (nm) class*, 32 gigabit (Gb) 3-bit-per-cell (3-bit) NAND-based 32 gigabyte (GB) microSD cards in February 2010. By applying the finer 20-nm-class process technology, the productivity of the chips is raised over 30 percent.
As an industry pioneer, Samsung plans to continue to aggressively introduce new NAND-based mobile memory solutions for timely market adoption. Mass production of its 20nm-class 64Gb 3-bit NAND designed on advanced toggle NAND architecture is anticipated for early next year.
Chip Eyes in Your Phones
Samsung has been on a role in making new chips. It is also making chips for smart phone cameras. The company unveiled its new 1/3.2-inch 8 Megapixel (Mp) CMOS imager, S5K3H2. The new imager utilizes Samsung's advanced 1.4 micron (um) back side illuminated (BSI) pixel technology to offer superior low-light sensitivity, satisfying the high quality imaging requirements of smartphones, high-end feature phones and camcorders.
"The new imager with BSI is designed to address the increased demand for 8 Megapixel resolution cameras by high-end mobile phone customers, and offers excellent low-light sensitivity as well as 1080p full HD video features," said Dojun Rhee, vice president of marketing, System LSI Division, Samsung Electronics. "We continue to expand our product portfolio beyond mobile phones, to serve a wide variety of applications such as DSLR cameras, DVC/DSCs, camera embedded displays and game applications."
The 8Mp imager provides clear and crisp image quality on par with point-and-shoot cameras, supporting up to 15 frames per second (fps) at full resolution and 1080p full HD video image up to 30fps. It also offers video recording of 720p at 60fps and VGA resolution images at 120fps for slow motion playback function all on a mobile phone.
Based on Samsung's BSI low power process technology, the S5K3H2 is able to operate on 1.2 voltage levels enabling longer battery life for high-end mobile and smartphones.
In addition, as the slim form factor fits in an 8.5mm x 8.5mm auto focus camera module with a height dimension of 6.0mm, the S5K3H2 gives design engineers a great deal of freedom in designing camera modules suitable for slim mobile handsets and small form factor applications.
Samsung's 8Mp S5K3H2 began mass production in the second quarter of this year.
