Executive Director Kim Kyung-ryun Posts Company Newsroom Article
Confident Mention of 3D DRAM Commercialization Timing
HBM Cumulative Sales Exceed 10 Billion USD
Samsung Electronics has officially announced the commercialization of 3D DRAM by 2030. The company recently revealed at a memory semiconductor conference held in Silicon Valley, USA, that it will unveil an initial version of 3D DRAM next year, and subsequently specified the timeline for product commercialization domestically. This move aims to establish a technological lead to solidify its position as the number one in the DRAM market while addressing the increasing technological challenges of memory semiconductors in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).
Kim Kyung-ryun, Executive Vice President of the Memory Business Planning Office at Samsung Electronics’ DS Division, stated in a company newsroom article on the 2nd, "We are conducting proactive research and development (R&D) on a new structure utilizing vertical channel transistors (VCT) for DRAM under 10 nm (1 nm = one billionth of a meter)," adding, "We plan to commercialize 3D DRAM by 2030."
Kim Kyung-ryun, Executive Director, Product Planning Office, Memory Business Division, Samsung Electronics DS Division / Photo by Samsung Semiconductor Newsroom
3D DRAM is a technological concept that departs from the conventional structure of arranging data storage cells in a planar layout by stacking them vertically, thereby increasing capacity per unit area. The semiconductor industry expects that once 3D DRAM is commercialized, it will occupy a smaller area compared to existing DRAM while handling high-capacity data, offering significant advantages in the AI era. There are also forecasts that the wider spacing between cells compared to existing designs will improve power efficiency.
Samsung Electronics revealed its 3D DRAM roadmap at the global memory semiconductor conference ‘MEMCON 2024’ last March. Industry experts interpret this as a sign of strong confidence in its technology development.
Samsung Electronics is developing 3D DRAM technology through various R&D bases, including its US subsidiary. The company aims to secure the 3D DRAM market faster than competitors such as SK Hynix and US-based Micron. To this end, it recruited Vice President Lee Si-woo, who had been developing 3D DRAM technology at Micron, in the second half of last year.
Executive Vice President Kim emphasized the necessity of developing 3D DRAM technology, stating, "The growth of AI technology requires advancements in memory semiconductors, including high-bandwidth, low-power memory for system performance enhancement, as well as new interfaces and stacking technologies."
Samsung Electronics also plans to strengthen its competitiveness in the high-value DRAM market, particularly in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which is gaining attention in the AI era. Since commercializing HBM in 2016, the company expects cumulative HBM sales to exceed $10 billion by this year.
In particular, it anticipates that more than two-thirds of this year’s HBM sales will be from the fifth-generation product, HBM3E. Samsung began mass production of the 8-stack HBM3E last month and plans to mass-produce the 12-stack HBM3E product within the second quarter. Currently, samples of the 12-stack product are being supplied to customers.
To respond to the evolving demand for customized HBM, Samsung plans to offer optimized products tailored to each customer. Executive Vice President Kim said, "Since early this year, we have gathered top engineers from various business units to form a dedicated next-generation HBM team, accelerating R&D for customized HBM optimization."
Kyung Kye-hyun, head of Samsung Electronics’ DS Division, recently held a management briefing for internal members, acknowledging that Samsung had lost the lead to SK Hynix in the early HBM market but set a goal to enhance competitiveness going forward. Kyung said, "We did not win in the initial AI market," adding, "We must win the second round, and if we concentrate our capabilities well, we can definitely achieve this."
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