SK Hynix' most advanced 10nm LPDDR4 DRAM for mobile devices is now in mass production

SK Hynix has a new form of mobile DRAM to introduce today (July 12, 2021). This "1a" (or fourth-gen 10nm) memory might be LPDDR4; however, the OEM asserts that it holds a new record in transfer speeds for this JEDEC standard: 4,266 megabits per second (Mb/s), while consuming up to 20% less power than its its 1z predecessor

The 1a (also known as 1anm) DRAM is also the first SK Hynix LPDDR4 product to use the EUV process normally reserved for higher-end chipsets or modules. The OEM notes that this upgrade means it can get 25% more individual chips per wafer surface compared to the technique used for 1znm.

Therefore, SK Hynix indicates that it has the potential to be more cost-effective in addition to being faster and more power-efficient. This might keep its LPDDR4 relevant and attractive to smartphone OEMs, even in the face of the rise of next-gen DDR5-based RAM in this industry - furthermore, its uptake might lead to well-powered mid-tier devices for the consumers of the immediate future.

Nevertheless, LPDDR5 might fast become the norm in the upper echelons of the same market. Perhaps it is just as well that SK Hynix has also announced it is nearly ready to apply the new 1anm EUV process to the production of this newer DRAM as well. The resulting next-gen chips might start to become available as early as 2022.

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