Samsung Electronics Develops World's Largest Capacity '32Gb' DDR5 DRAM

128GB Module Production Possible Without TSV Process
10% Power Consumption Improvement Compared to Same Capacity Modules
Mass Production Scheduled Within the Year... Applicable to Various Uses

Samsung Electronics has developed the industry's first 12-nanometer-class 32-gigabit (Gb) Double Data Rate (DDR)5 DRAM and plans to mass-produce it within this year. The 32Gb capacity is the largest ever for a single DRAM chip. Samsung Electronics aims to continuously introduce high-capacity DRAM product lines and lead the next-generation DRAM market.

Samsung Electronics announced on the 1st that following the mass production of 12-nanometer-class 16Gb DDR5 DRAM in May, it has now succeeded in developing the industry's largest capacity 32Gb DDR5 DRAM. It took 40 years since the development of 64-kilobit (Kb) DRAM in 1983 to develop the 32Gb DRAM, increasing capacity by 500,000 times. The company plans to mass-produce the 32Gb DDR5 DRAM within this year.

Samsung Electronics 32 Gigabit (Gb) Double Data Rate (DDR) 5 DRAM / Photo by Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics developed the 32Gb DRAM by improving the architecture within the same package size, doubling the capacity compared to the 16Gb DRAM. The company explained that as we move into the era of artificial intelligence (AI), data processing volume inevitably surges, making high-capacity DRAM installation in servers essential. In fact, global data volume is expected to exceed 100 zettabytes (ZB) this year and could surge to 181ZB by 2025.

Amid these changes, global companies are recently investing to secure competitive data centers. Especially, they are focusing on investments in high-end servers costing over $500,000, which are essential for generative AI, continuously increasing the amount of DRAM installed per server to process faster and larger amounts of data. Market research firm IDC forecasts that DRAM capacity per server will increase from 1.93 terabytes (TB) this year to 3.86TB by 2027.

By utilizing 32Gb DDR5 DRAM, it is possible to create 128-gigabyte (GB) modules without the advanced packaging technology of Through Silicon Via (TSV) process. The TSV process involves drilling holes in DRAM and stacking multiple DRAM chips vertically. Previously, producing 128GB modules with DRAM capacities of 32Gb or less required the use of the TSV process. Compared to 128GB modules equipped with 16Gb DRAM, power consumption can be reduced by 10%, which is another advantage.

Additionally, since the TSV process can be avoided when making high-capacity DRAM modules, production resources can be used more efficiently. For example, more High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), which has seen rapidly increasing demand recently, can be produced. HBM is a high-performance, high-capacity DRAM made by stacking multiple DRAM chips and requires the TSV process. Given the limited TSV process production capacity, this means that instead of producing 128GB modules, more HBM can be manufactured.

Samsung Electronics is evaluated to have secured the foundational technology to open the era of 1TB DRAM modules with this product development. The 32Gb DRAM can be a powerful weapon to capture future DRAM demand. The company plans to continuously expand its high-capacity DRAM product lineup through this. Collaborating with global IT companies, Samsung aims to lead the AI era by creating high-capacity, high-performance, and low-power products, thereby driving the next-generation DRAM market.

Hwang Sang-jun, Vice President and Head of DRAM Development at Samsung Electronics’ Memory Business Division, said, "With this 12-nanometer-class 32Gb DRAM, we have secured a solution capable of implementing up to 1TB modules in the future," adding, "We will continue to overcome memory technology limits with differentiated process and design technologies."