Samsung phones may get 4GB standard RAM

If you think 2 GB of random access memory (RAM) in your phone is fast enough, get ready for double the memory capacity from Samsung.

Korea-based Samsung said it has developed the first 8GB mobile low power double data rate 4 (LPDDR4) mobile DRAM that can offer 1 GB on a single die.

"Overall, the new LPDDR4 interface will provide 50 percent higher performance than the fastest LPDDR3 or DDR3 memory while consuming approximately 40 percent less energy at 1.1 volts," it said in a blog post.

Samsung said this could mean "faster, more responsive applications, more advanced features, and higher resolution displays while maximizing battery life."

Young-Hyun Jun, Samsung Electronics' executive vice president for memory sales and marketing, said the next-generation memory will play a key role in the global mobile DRAM market's growth.

“We will continue introducing the most advanced mobile DRAM one step ahead of the rest of the industry so that global OEMs can launch innovative mobile devices with exceptional user convenience in the timeliest manner,” the official added.

Presently, Samsung claims the lead in mobile DRAM technology development and mobile DRAM market share with its 4Gb and 6Gb LPDDR3.

Samsung said the 8GB LPDDR4 is fabricated on 20-nanometer class process technology, and offers 1 GB on a single die.

It will initially focus on the premium mobile market including large screen UHD smartphones, tablets and ultra-slim notebooks, and on high-performance network systems.

Samsung plans to provide its new 8GB LPDDR4 DRAM in 2014.

4GB on smartphones

Meanwhile, a separate report on PC World said combining four of the LPDDR4 chips can give a high-end smartphone or tablet 4GB of RAM.

"Today many expensive smartphones have 2GB of RAM, while Samsung’s own Galaxy Note 3 has 3GB," it noted.

PC World noted other expected smartphone trends for 2014 include faster LTE network connections and faster processors.

It said Qualcomm recently announced the Snapdragon 805 processor, which runs four cores at up to 2.5GHz and may be available in commercial devices in the first half of 2014. — TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

New MRAM chips may boast 10x more speed than conventional DRAM

Coming soon to a smartphone or tablet near you: a memory chip that can make your device 10 times faster—but only a third as power-thirsty.

Japanese and United States companies are now working to create such a new memory chip dubbed magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), Nikkei reported.

But the new RAM may not likely reach the masses until at least 2018, it added.

Potentially, the new memory may have up to 10 times the capacity and writing speed of Dynamic RAM (DRAM), the present standard - while consuming only a third of the power requirement of DRAM.

This could boost standby time from "dozens of hours to a few hundred," the report said.

Researchers

Presently, at least 20 Japanese and US semiconductor firms are working to develop a way to mass-produce these chips.

Among the companies from Japan are:

Tokyo Electron, the world's third-biggest manufacturer of chipmaking equipment
Shin-Etsu Chemical, the top silicon wafer maker
chipmaker Renesas Electronics
electronics conglomerate Hitachi.

Meanwhile, the US is represented by Micron Technology, the world's second biggest producer of DRAM chips.

Nikkei reported the companies are to send a "few dozen" researchers to Tohoku University in northern Japan, and start development on MRAM by February 2014.

The team led by Tohoku University professor Tetsuo Endoh will seek to attract the support of US and European companies.

Mass production by 2018

However, MRAM may not likely reach the masses until at least 2018, as the companies are still figuring out how to mass-produce it.

Also, Nikkei noted other companies are working on the technology as well, including Toshiba and Korea's SK Hynix; and Samsung Electronics.

"All told, chipmakers controlling 90% of the global market are shifting to MRAM," it said. — TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com