South Korean memory chipmakers Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. are going aggressive in supplying next-generation Double Data Rate 5 (DDR5) products amid growing demand for generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as ChatGPT.

SK hynix announced Tuesday that it has completed the development of a fifth-generation 10-nanometer technology for dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and has launched validation in the Intel Data Center Certified memory program.

Intel accounts for more than 80 percent of the world’s server market. Once the verification is complete, SK hynix’s advanced technology DRAM will be used in Xeon Scalable processors, Intel’s next-generation server-use platform.

SK hynix is seen as having taken a step closer to securing a large-scale partner in the server market.

The DDR5 that SK hynix has developed is equipped with up-to-date specifications and offers high performance and performance per watt. The fifth-generation 10-nano products run at the world’s fastest speed of 6.4 gigabits per second (Gbps), which allows downloads of 5 gigabyte (GB) 10 full-high-definition movies in just one second.

The DDR5 products provided to Intel also boast 33 percent improvement in data processing speed compared with other trial products in early days of development.

The latest DDR5 products also reduce power consumption by more than 20 percent compared with their predecessors as they apply the high-K metal gate (HKMG) process, which allows data centers to improve energy efficiency.



“SK hynix expects the validation process of the 1bnm DDR5 product with Intel to go smoothly following a successful validation of our 1anm server DDR5 product compatibility with the 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors,” said Kim Jong-hwan, head of DRAM development at SK hynix.

Kim added that the fifth-generation 10-nano process will be adopted for a wider range of products such as a high bandwidth memory product HBM3E in the first half of next year.

Among DRAM producers, U.S. Micron Technology Inc. was the first to open the door to fifth-generation 10-nano DDR5 products. Micron Technology announced mass production in November last year but the industry estimates the technology strictly involves a 13-nano process technology.

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chipmaker, also launched mass production of fifth-generation 10-nano products in May. Its 12-nano 16Gb DDR5 DRAM offers 20 percent improved productivity as compared to its predecessor model.

Samsung Electronics has finished a compatibility test with U.S. chip company AMD Inc.

The memory industry is going all-out in supplying next-generation DDR5 as it expects demand to grow amid the wide use of generative AI technology such as ChatGPT.

U.S. chipmaker Nvidia Corp. recently announced that its revenue reached $7.19 billion in the first quarter from February to April, which is 10 percent above what the market expected.

“Demand for accelerated computing and generative AI is driving a fundamental change in the architecture of data centers,” said Jensen Huang, founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia.

According to market data tracker Omdia, DDR5 is expected to account for 51 percent of the server DRAM market in 2024, outpacing DDR4 for the first time at 49 percent.

By Oh Chan-jong and Lee Eun-joo

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