Chipmakers keen on enhancing power efficiency of AI chips

LPDDR becomes latest battlefield for Samsung, SK, Micron

Samsung Electronics' latest LPDDR5X package is as thin as a fingernail at 0.65 millimeters. (Samsung Electronics)

The latest boom in artificial intelligence is prompting competition among the world's top three memory-chip-makers to debut more power-efficient DRAM chips with higher capacity to power high-performance computing for AI applications.

Chipmakers are focusing especially on the seventh-generation Low Power Double Data Rate 5X chip to be used not just in mobile devices, but also in the automotive industry.

"As AI applications are diversifying, the demand for memory products consuming low power and high capacity -- and thinner for heat control -- is growing at a fast pace," an industry official said.

"LPDDR is a versatile product that can be used in various sectors from mobile devices to servers to automotive solutions. It has a lot of growth potential."

The world's largest memory-chip-maker Samsung Electronics announced last week it had started mass production of the world's thinnest LPDDR5X chip, designed for better thermal control within mobile devices.

As high-performance applications such as on-device AI lead to more heat within devices, its ultraslim DRAM chip would create additional space to facilitate better airflow, Samsung explained.

"Samsung’s LPDDR5X DRAM sets a new standard for high-performance on-device AI solutions, offering not only superior LPDDR performance, but also advanced thermal management in an ultracompact package," said Bae Yong-cheol, executive vice president of memory product planning at Samsung Electronics.

Coming in storage volumes of 12 and 16 gigabytes, Samsung's LPDDR5X package is as thin as a fingernail at 0.65 millimeters, made possible by optimizing printed circuit board and epoxy molding compound techniques, the company said.

When compared to previous models, the thickness of the new four-stack DRAM package has been reduced by approximately 9 percent, and the heat resistance has been improved by 21.2 percent.

SK hynix, the world's second-largest memory-chip-maker, has put its focus on speed, introducing an upgraded version of the LPDDR5X product, LPDDR5T.

The company developed the turbo model in January 2023 to raise the processing speed, prior to the development of the eighth generation LPDDR6. LPDDR5T was the fastest DRAM available until Samsung introduced the faster LPDDR5X model in April this year.

SK hynix reduced the processing speed for its new turbo model by 13 percent from the previous model. According to SK hynix, LPDDR5T can transfer 9.6 gigabits per second, or 15 Full HD movies in one second.

The company has been supplying the advanced DRAM chip since last November. Among its clients is Vivo, a China-based smartphone manufacturer, which uses SK chips in its latest smartphones X100 and X100 Pro.

“Smartphones are becoming essential devices for implementing on-device AI technology as the AI era kicks into full swing,” said Park Myoung-soo, vice president and head of DRAM Marketing at SK hynix. “There is a growing demand for high-performing, high-capacity mobile DRAMs in the market.”

More than a year later, Samsung also introduced LPDDR5X with a processing speed of 10.7 Gbps.

US-based Micron Technology, which ranks third in the global DRAM market, is securing market share by being the first to develop the advanced LPDDR5X chip in November 2021.

Micron's LPDDR5X has been used in the Apple iPhone 15 model. The company is also reportedly supplying its LPDDR5X to be used in Nvidia's next-generation graphic processing unit series Blackwell, set to launch in the second half of this year. According to sources, 16 units of the LPDDR5X will be used for one Blackwell GPU unit.

By Jo He-rim(herim@heraldcorp.com)