This advancement in technology was made feasible by the adoption of a new high-grade material that boosts cell capacitance and a unique design technique that enhances key circuit properties. The new DRAM has the largest die density in the market and sophisticated, multi-layer extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, which together allow a 20 percent increase in wafer productivity. Samsung’s 12nm-class DRAM will enable speeds of up to 7.2 gigabits per second by using the most recent DDR5 standard (Gbps). -Jooyoung Lee, Executive Vice President of DRAM Products & Technology at Samsung Electronics Samsung expects to expand its DRAM portfolio, based on this cutting-edge 12nm-class manufacturing technology, across a variety of industry categories, with mass production beginning in 2023.
Samsung Raises 3D NAND Pricing Amid YMTC Getting Blacklisted by the US
In the first half of December, Samsung raised the price of its 3D NAND flash memory devices by 10% in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s blacklisting of China-based YMTC. According to a DigiTimes article, Samsung raised its bids as a result of other companies’ increasing demand for 3D NAND after the temporary suspension of several tech companies’ collaboration with Yangtze Memory. After YMTC was added to the DoC’s Unverified List (UVL) in the last several months, American lawmakers openly referred to it as a danger to national security. As a result, Apple made the decision to hold off on purchasing 3D NAND from Yangtze Memory, even for iPhones that would be sold in China. Other PC OEMs reportedly followed suit and stopped working with the Chinese flash memory maker, either because they didn’t want to become embroiled in a political issue or because they weren’t convinced YMTC could provide enough memory on time. According to the report, this led to a rise in demand for 3D NAND memory made by other manufacturers, such as Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix. The market leader Samsung even opted to raise its 3D NAND pricing to capitalise on the situation. Uncertainty exists over the impact of Samsung’s rise in contract 3D NAND pricing for the first half of December on prices of solid-state drives and 3D NAND in general.
