SK hynix is opening up a new sector in the DRAM market through the development of the industry’s first Double Data Rate 5 (DDR5) DRAM that meets Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) standards.
Technological Competitiveness to Lead the 4th Industrial Revolution
Featuring ultra-high speed, low-power consumption, and a high capacity level, DDR5 is the optimal DRAM memory for next-generation systems such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning.
Following the 1Ynm 8Gbit (Gb) DDR4, SK hynix started delivering its 16Gb DDR5, where the same micro process was applied as DDR4, to a major chipset manufacturer in November 2018. The new DDR5 DRAM supports a data transfer rate of 5200Mbps, about 60% faster compared to 3200Mbps of the previous generation. Also in last February, SK hynix gave a more detailed description of its 16Gb DDR5 memory chip at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2019 (ISSCC 2019) in San Francisco, USA, showing that the product can technically support up to 6400Mbps.
DDR5 Maximizes Efficiency in Performance
Compared to its predecessor, the DDR4, DDR5’s power consumption has been reduced by 30%, while also delivering 60% faster data transfer speed. It supports a transfer rate capable of processing 41.6GByte, equivalent to 11 full-HD resolution movies, in just one second.
When SK hynix succeeded in developing DDR5 DRAM back in November 2018, the company explained that the number of the memory banks doubled from 16 to 32, in accordance with the JEDEC DDR5 standards. Burst length, the number of bursts for data transfer, also doubled from 8 to 16. At the same time, with an Error Correcting Code (ECC) incorporated in this latest DRAM, a new level of high-capacity system reliability was achieved.
Using new advanced technologies to obtain ultra-high-speed and reliable operating performance, this DDR5 boasts highly improved data processing speed, reinforcing technological competitiveness and leadership of SK hynix.
A DRAM for the Next-Generation Memory Market
Despite uncertainties in the demand outlook for 2020, TrendForce, a industry market research firm, expects the semiconductor market to recover steadily thanks to AI, 5G and automotive technologies fueling a rise in demand. TrendForce also predicts the global telecom sector to be developed around 5G during 2020, with more 5G devices to be introduced to the market. Even though it’s still at the early stage, advantages of DDR5 over DDR4 will “get noticed” by customers in the DRAM market in 2020, according to TrendForce.
Another market research institute, International Data Corporation (IDC), also said that demand for DDR5 was expected to rise from 2020, accounting for 25% of the total DRAM market in 2021 and 44% in 2022. SK hynix plans to start the mass-production of its DDR5 memory chip from 2020, while continuing research and development on DRAM technologies to lead the next generation of semiconductors.
