As Samsung plans to unveil its next-gen flagship smartphone, Galaxy S25 series, in early 2025, more details regarding the product have surfaced. Months ahead of the launch, Samsung is said to abandon the dual-processor strategy and equip the entire series with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processor. The latest rumor, however, may be related to the yield issue in its 1b DRAM intended to be used in the Galaxy S25 series.

According to a report by Korean media outlet ZDNet, the tech giant might be facing difficulties in its cutting-edge mobile DRAM, the 1b DRAM (5^th-generation 10nm-class DRAM). Last month, Samsung Electronics’ Mobile eXperience (MX) Division reportedly raised concerns with the Device Solutions (DS) Division about delays in the delivery of 1b-based LPDDR (low-power DRAM) samples.

Samsung has been developing 1b DRAM for a period of time, as the company is said to begin mass production of the 16Gb 1b DDR5 DRAM in May last year, ZDNet notes. Afterwards, Samsung started to develop the 32Gb 1b DRAM in September, targeting the high-performance computing (HPC) market, the report states.

Meanwhile, it has been working on developing 1b LPDDR products for mobile devices, primarily targeting the Galaxy S25 series.

However, recent issues seem to have disrupted these plans, the report suggests. It notes that while the DS Division was expected to deliver 1b LPDDR samples in various capacities, including 12Gb and 16Gb, to the MX Division by last month, they were unable to provide the necessary quantities due to yield problems.

Industry experts cited by the report indicate that semiconductors generally require a yield rate above 80% to support stable and cost-effective mass production and supply. While the exact yield rate of Samsung’s mobile 1b DRAM hasn’t been revealed, it is likely to fall well below the target, which prompts Samsung’s MX Division to reevaluate the schedule and the DRAM adoption plan, the report suggests.

According to a previous report by TheElec, though concerns have been raised regarding its 1b DRAM manufacturing, being ambitious on its HBM development, Samsung targets to tape out HBM4 by the end of this year, while it intends to adopt the 10nm 6th-generation (1c) DRAM to manufacture the memory chip.

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(Photo credit: Samsung)

DRAM giant Nanya Technology held its shareholder meeting earlier today, during which Chairman Chia-Chau Wu reported on the company’s operations. According to a report from UDN, He mentioned that despite challenges such as unfavorable market conditions, geopolitical tensions, and the US-China trade conflict, Nanya Technology experienced a transition from profit to loss last year.

Nevertheless, the company continues to possess strong technological capabilities. This year, Nanya plans to introduce more products using the 10nm 1B process. Additionally, the 10nm 1C process is set to complete its first product design by the end of this year and begin trial production early next year. In 2026, Nanya will introduce new facilities, and by integrating miniaturization and Through-Silicon Via (TSV) processes, it will enter the high-capacity DRAM module market to meet the demand from the server market.

Wu emphasized that the 1B process products are Nanya Technology’s key expansion focus this year. In addition to promoting 8Gb/4Gb DDR4 to the personal computer and bare die application markets, the 16Gb DDR5 will initially target mainstream markets, including personal computers and servers.

Wu further highlighted that Nanya Technology continues to invest in research and development during the industry’s adjustment period to strengthen its future competitiveness.

Currently, in addition to developing three products under the second-generation 10nm (1B) process, Nanya Technology is also developing four other products: 16Gb DDR5 and miniaturized versions, 16Gb LPDDR4, 16Gb LPDDR5, and 4Gb DDR3, which will also gradually enter trial production.

He added that this year, Nanya Technology will simultaneously develop Through-Silicon Via (TSV) process technology. In the future, by combining the miniaturized DDR5 with the TSV process, Nanya aims to produce high-capacity DRAM modules to meet the demand of the server market.

Furthermore, the third-generation 10nm (1C) process technology is on track, with the design of the first 16Gb DDR5 product expected to be completed by the end of the year and trial production beginning early next year.

To support the transition to the 1B process and the construction of new facilities, Nanya Technology’s capital expenditure for this year is approximately TWD 26 billion (roughly USD 805.2 million), with less than half of the budget allocated to production equipment.

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(Photo credit: Nanya Technology)

Currently, the issue of low power consumption remains a key concern in the industry. According to a recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), given that an average Google search requires 0.3Wh and each request to OpenAI’s ChatGPT consumes 2.9Wh, the 9 billion searches conducted daily would require an additional 10 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually. Based on the projected sales of AI servers, AI industry might see exponential growth in 2026, with power consumption needs at least ten times that of last year.

Ahmad Bahai, CTO of Texas Instruments, per a previous report from Business Korea, stated that recently, in addition to the cloud, AI services have also shifted to mobile and PC devices, leading to a surge in power consumption, and hence, this will be a hot topic.

In response to market demands, the industry is actively developing semiconductors with lower power consumption. On memory products, the development of LPDDR and related products such as Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module (LPCAMM) is accelerating. These products are particularly suitable for achieving energy conservation in mobile devices with limited battery capacity. Additionally, the expansion of AI applications in server and automotive fields is driving the increased use of LPDDR to reduce power consumption.

In terms of major companies, Micron, Samsung Electronics, and SK Hynix are speeding up the development of the next generation of LPDDR. Recently, Micron announced the launch of Crucial LPCAMM2. Compared to existing modules, this product is 64% smaller and 58% more power-efficient. As a low-power dedicated packaging module that includes several latest LPDDR products (LPDDR5X), it is a type of LPCAMM. LPCAMM was first introduced by Samsung Electronics last year, and it is expected to enjoy significant market growth this year.

Currently, the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) plans to complete the development of LPDDR6 specifications within this year. According to industry news cited by the Korean media BusinessKorea, LPDDR6 is expected to start commercialization next year. The industry predicts that LPDDR6’s bandwidth may more than double that of previous generation.

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(Photo credit: SK Hynix)

According to a news report from UDN, despite U.S. restrictions on the exportation of technologies related to advanced semiconductor processes, China is fortifying its independent chip development capabilities.

ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a Chinese DRAM chip manufacturer, presented a paper at the 69th IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in San Francisco, showcasing a Gate-All-Around (GAA) technology applicable to cutting-edge 3nm chips.

According to an article from South China Morning Post, while CXMT has not yet released sample products, the evidence of the company’s next-generation memory production has caught the attention of industry analysts. This is noteworthy because the design of such chips typically involves technology subject to U.S. export restrictions.

Frederick Chen, a memory expert at Winbond Electronics, a Taiwan-based company, said the evidence of progress by CXMT is “impressive”, as it shows that the Chinese company is not far away from state-of-the-art research and products. “It’s significant because Samsung Electronics is trying to do the same.” Chen said.

Regarding this matter, CXMT has maintained a relatively low profile. Reportedly, in a statement to the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, CXMT stated that the paper “describes fundamental research related to DRAM structure and the feasibility of 4F2 design” and “it has nothing to do with CXMT’s current production processes.” This may have implied that the conceptual design is still distant from becoming a market-ready product.

“Any accusation that CXMT is violating US sanctions or export controls is completely inaccurate,” the company’s export control experts said. “We firmly believe that the free flow of ideas that IEDM seeks to foster is essential for the industry’s innovation and development.”

At the end of this November, CXMT released China’s first LPDDR5 chip, marking the entry of Chinese manufacturers into the DDR5 competition and narrowing the technological gap with leading memory suppliers such as South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix.

(Photo credit: CXMT)

On November 28, CXMT made a highlight in the Chinese market by unveiling its latest DRAM LPDDR5. It becomes the first company in China to self-develop and manufacture such DRAMs. CXMT said it has already received validation from major Chinese smartphone brands like Xiaomi and Transsion, signaling plans for swift market commercialization.

This launch not only improves the quality and cost-effectiveness of applications in personal and business sectors but also accelerates the industrialization of the Chinese DRAM industry, positioning CXMT at the forefront of the LPDDR5 era.

Latest Developments in CXMT’s LPDDR5 Strategy

The “LP” in LPDDR stands for Low Power, representing a type of Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM) product with lower power consumption compared to DDR. The JEDEC(Solid State Technology Association) categorizes DRAM into three kinds based on different application needs: Standard DDR, LPDDR, and GDDR. DDR is primarily used in servers and PCs, LPDDR in mobile phones and consumer electronics, and GDDR in image processing.

LPDDR5, the fifth generation of low-power double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory, is the latest focus for CXMT. The company officially launched its LPDDR5 series, including 12Gb LPDDR5 chips, 12GB LPDDR5 chips with package on package (PoP) packaging, and 6GB LPDDR5 chips with die stacking chip (DSC) packaging.

CXMT’s LPDDR5 chips incorporate robust RAS (Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability) features, utilizing on-die error correction code (ECC) technology for real-time error correction, minimizing system failures, ensuring data security, and enhancing stability.

International Memory Giants Vying for Market Share

In September 2023, Samsung announced the development of a series of Low-Power Compressed Additional Memory Modules (LPCAMM), utilizing LPDDR5X memory. During the “2023 Investor Forum” held in Hong Kong in November, Samsung revealed plans to prepare new memory solutions for the automotive sector, including the new LPDDR5X.

SK Hynix officially supplied customers with 16GB capacity LPDDR5T (Low Power Double Data Rate 5 Turbo) products in November, marking the fastest mobile DRAM product with a transmission speed of up to 9.6Gbps.

Micron introduced LPDDR5X DRAM in 2022, with its LPDDR5X-9600 utilizing the latest 1β process technology. With a maximum capacity of 16GB, its speed is 12% higher than the previously fastest LPDDR5X-8533.

Promising Future for LPDDR5 Market

From the current DRAM market share perspective, TrendForce’s statistics on industry revenue from the second quarter show that Samsung has a market share of 39.6%, SK Hynix has 30.1%, and Micron (25.8%), together accounting for over 95% of the market share. Including Nanya Technology (2%) and Winbond Electronics (0.9%), the top five companies account for 98.4%.

Although industry points out that, compared to global giants, China-produced LPDDR5 currently has certain gaps in terms of capacity, speed, and other aspects, it is essential to note that LPDDR5 is trending towards becoming the mainstream in smartphone products. CXMT’s entry into this field coincides with the boom in LPDDR5 development.

TrendForce’s recent research on LPDDR indicates that LPDDR4X remains predominant in the mainstream market, with LPDDR5(X) focus on the high-end market for smartphones. However, with the introduction of Intel’s new Alder lake platform, LPDDR5(X) is gaining prominence in the laptop sector. It is estimated that the market share of LPDDR5(X) will exceed 25% in 2023.

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