Samsung supplies LPDDR4X auto chip to Qualcomm, set for LPDDR5 deal

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. said on Tuesday it has begun supplying its latest automotive chip, LPDDR4X, to Qualcomm Technologies Inc. after completing the US firm’s performance verification test.

The deal marks Samsung’s first collaboration with Qualcomm in the automotive chip segment.

Samsung, the world’s largest memory chipmaker, said it is also developing a next-generation automotive chip, LPDDR5. Samples are expected to be available in the fourth quarter of this year for use in Qualcomm’s and other partners’ chipsets, it said.

LPDDR DRAM, or low power double data rate DRAM, is becoming the standard for a variety of devices because of its low-power, high-performance characteristics, which expand its use beyond smartphones to PCs, high-end computing (HPC) and servers.

LPDDR memory is also an important component in vehicle development as a massive amount of data processing is required for autonomous driving.

Samsung said its LPDDR4X automotive chip will become part of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Digital Chassis for use in premium in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

“The performance verification of LPDDR4X with Qualcomm ensures robust supply chain stability and enhanced support for ecosystem partners utilizing the Snapdragon Digital Chassis,” Samsung said.

LPDDR4X WORKS IN EXTREME TEMPERATURES

Samsung said it will supply up to 32 gigabytes (GB) of LPDDR4X in capacity to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Digital Chassis products for use in premium in-vehicle infotainment systems.

Samsung's LPDDR4X meets the AEC-Q100 standard, a stress-test qualification for packaged integrated circuits (ICs) used in automobiles.

The chip guarantees stable performance even in extreme temperatures ranging from minus 40 degrees Celsius to 105 degrees, it said.

Samsung said it expects to begin producing its next-generation automotive chip LPDDR5 by the end of this year for supply to Qualcomm and other clients.

Last September, the company showcased its LPDDR5X products for automotive applications at IAA Mobility 2023, an international auto show held in Munich.

It said LPDDR5 will support the highest data speed currently available in the automotive memory market, up to 9.6 gigabits-per-second (Gbps), even in extreme temperatures.

Analysts said Samsung, which is already supplying automotive memory to multiple customers, will be bolstering its presence in the auto chip segment by adding Qualcomm to its client list.

SAMSUNG THREATENS MICRON’S AUTO CHIP LEADERSHIP

According to market research firm IHS, Samsung ranked second in the automotive memory market with a 32% share as of the end of 2023, trailing Micron Technology Inc.’s 44%.

According to market tracker Omdia, the global automotive DRAM market is expected to grow by over 16% annually through 2028. The market size is forecast to grow to $7.36 billion by 2028 from $3.49 billion in 2023.

Given that an internal combustion engine vehicle requires 200 to 300 semiconductor chips, an electric vehicle needs 1,000 chips, and an autonomous vehicle as many as 2,000, the pace of the auto chip market’s growth will be steeper in the coming years, analysts said.

“With a broad automotive lineup of our AEC-Q100-qualified DRAM and NAND products, Qualcomm is an ideal partner to work with for long-term customer solutions,” said Cho Hyun-duk, vice president and head of the Automotive Group at Samsung’s Memory Business.

“Through Samsung’s leadership in design, manufacturing and packaging for memory solutions, our work with Qualcomm will support rapid development cycles while ensuring reliability, verification and exceptional product control, which are essential for the automotive industry.”

Write to Jeong-Soo Hwang at hjs@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.