Samsung’s fastest LPDDR5X validated on MediaTek’s Dimensity chipset

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. said on Tuesday it has completed the performance verification of its latest LPDDR5X chip for use in MediTek Co.’s next-generation mobile application processor (AP) chipset Dimensity.

With the chip’s successful validation at the operating speed of 10.7 gigabit-per-second (Gbps) – the industry’s fastest – on the Taiwanese company’s flagship mobile chipset, Samsung said it aims to solidify its DRAM leadership in the fast-growing mobile chip segment.

The verification was carried out using Samsung’s 16 gigabyte (GB) multi-package, which combines multiple LPDDR5X, or low power double data rate 5 X, DRAM chips, on MediaTek’s upcoming Dimensity 9400 system on chip (SoC), which is due out by the end of this year.

MediaTek is the world’s largest mobile AP manufacturer.

Samsung’s 10.7Gbps LPDDR5X not only improves performance by more than 25% and capacity by more than 30%, compared to its previous generation models but also expands the single package capacity of mobile DRAM up to 32GB, making it optimal for mobile AI devices.

The latest chip also improves power efficiency by 25%, giving mobile devices longer battery life and enhanced on-device AI performance without server or cloud access, it said.

“The operating speed of up to 10.7Gbps enables our upcoming devices to deliver AI functionality and mobile performance at a level we’ve never seen before,” said JC Hsu, senior vice president of Wireless Communications Business at MediaTek.

“This updated architecture will make it easier for developers and users to leverage more AI capabilities and take advantage of more features with less impact on battery life.”

LPDDR SET TO BECOME INDUSTRY STANDARD

Samsung developed the 10.7Gbps LPDDR5X chip in April, which surpassed its previous maximum speed of 8.5Gbps achieved in October 2022 and was verified on Qualcomm Technologies Inc.’s Snapdragon mobile platform.

Leveraging 12-nanometer class processing technology, Samsung said it has also achieved the smallest chip size among existing LPDDRs, solidifying its technological leadership in the low-power DRAM market.

LPDDR DRAM is becoming the standard for a variety of devices because of its low-power and high-performance characteristics, expanding 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.

HBM vs LPDDR

Analysts said while high bandwidth memory (HBM) is the main chip for cloud AI functions, LPDDR will play a central role in on-device AI.

As the need for faster, smaller and more power-efficient memory increases across various sectors, Samsung said LPDDR DRAM is expected to be widely used in on-device or mobile AI applications.

On-device AI is an artificial intelligence technology that implements AI capabilities on the device itself, instead of going through computation in a physically separated server or cloud. AI functions become more responsive and provide more customized AI services as smart devices can collect and compute information independently.

According to market research firm MarketsandMarkets, the global on-device AI market is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 37% to $173.9 billion by 2030 from $185 million in 2022.

Samsung’s crosstown rival SK Hynix Inc. said last August it completed the performance validation of its advanced mobile DRAM chip, LPDDR5T, on MediaTek’s Dimensity platform series of mobile APs.

SMARTPHONES WITH ON-DEVICE AI

Electronics makers are increasingly unveiling smartphones equipped with on-device AI functions.

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, generative AI smartphones will account for 11% of all smartphones to be launched globally this year and the ratio is forecast to rise to 43% by 2027.

To rapidly respond to the growing demand for generative AI smartphones, Samsung said it is actively cooperating with mobile AP design firms.

A mobile AP is a system on a chip (SoC) designed to run applications and functions on a mobile device. It typically contains a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) and other components on a single chip to enable it to perform multiple tasks simultaneously.

Samsung is the world’s top mobile DRAM maker with a 54.8% market share as of the end of the first quarter, according to market research firm Omdia.

“Our LPDDR5X DRAM will lead the AI smartphone market,” said Bae Yong-cheol, executive vice president of Memory Product Planning at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will continue to innovate through active collaboration with customers and provide optimum solutions for the on-device AI era.”

Write to Jeong-Soo Hwang at hjs@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.