Samsung Electronics Receives Mass Production Approval for 6th-Generation DRAM 'D1c'... Sets Stage for HBM4 Turnaround

10nm-Class D1c Development Completed, PRA Achieved
Accelerating HBM4 Development... Mass Production Targeted for Second Half of the Year

Samsung Electronics has completed the development of DRAM using the sixth-generation (1c) 10-nanometer (1nm = one billionth of a meter) process. This brings the company one step closer to mass production of its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM), known as 'HBM4,' which is currently under development.

According to the semiconductor industry on July 1, Samsung Electronics succeeded in developing 1c DRAM the previous day and has completed mass production approval (PRA). PRA refers to the stage right before mass production, after internal standards have been met.

Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus construction site. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

The 10-nanometer-class DRAM process has been developed in the following order: 1x (first generation), 1y (second generation), 1z (third generation), 1a (fourth generation), 1b (fifth generation), and 1c (sixth generation). As the generations progress, the semiconductor circuit linewidth becomes narrower, leading to improved performance and energy efficiency. Previously, Samsung Electronics developed fifth-generation (1b) DRAM in December 2022 and announced mass production in May of the following year. It has now succeeded in developing the sixth generation in about two years.

Samsung Electronics is developing HBM4 using 1c DRAM, aiming for mass production in the second half of the year. SK Hynix, which dominates the HBM market, is producing HBM4 using the previous generation 1b DRAM. SK Hynix is also targeting mass production in the second half of the year and is known to have already provided HBM4 samples to major customers in March this year.

With Samsung Electronics completing the development of 1c DRAM, attention is now focused on whether the company will provide HBM4 samples and pass the Nvidia qualification test in the second half of the year. Samsung Electronics is also awaiting qualification results for its HBM3E (fifth generation) 12-stack product.