SK hynix Develops LPDDR5T, World's Fastest Mobile DRAM

[btarunr]

SK hynix Inc. announced today that it has developed the world's fastest mobile DRAM 'LPDDR5T (Low Power Double Data Rate 5 Turbo)' and provided sample products to customers. The new product, LPDDR5T, operates at a data rate of 9.6 gigabits per second (Gbps), 13% faster than the previous generation LPDDR5X unveiled in November 2022. To highlight the maximum speed the product features, SK hynix added 'Turbo' at the end of the standard name LPDDR5.

LPDDR5T, which operates in the ultra-low voltage range of 1.01 to 1.12 V set by the JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council), is a product that not only features utmost speed but ultra-low power consumption. "The company pushed the technology to new limits in just two months after LPDDR5X, mobile DRAM with 8.5 Gbps specification, was introduced to the market in November 2022," SK hynix said. "We will solidify our leadership in the mobile DRAM market by providing products of various storage capacities that meet customers' needs."



SK hynix said it provided customers with samples of 16 gigabyte (GB) multi-chip package, which combines multiple LPDDR5T chips into one package. The packaged product can process 77 GB of data per second, which is equivalent to transferring fifteen FHD (Full-HD) movies in one second.

SK hynix plans to begin mass production of LPDDR5T using 1 anm, the fourth generation of the 10 nm technology, in the second half of the year.

Meanwhile, SK hynix has, again, integrated the HKMG (High-K Metal Gate) process in the latest product that enabled the new product to deliver the best performance, and expects LPDDR5T, which substantially widened the technology gap, "to lead the market before the development of the next generation LPDDR6."

The IT industry forecasts an increasing demand for memory chips with advanced specifications as the 5G smartphone market expands further. In this trend, SK hynix expects the application of LPDDR5T to expand beyond smartphones to artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR).

"With the development of LPDDR5T, the company has fulfilled customers' demand for ultrahigh-performance products," said Sungsoo Ryu, Head of DRAM Product Planning at SK hynix. "We will continue to work on the technology development to lead the next-generation semiconductor market and become the game changer to the IT world."

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[docnorth]

Anything even close to that for 'regular' DDR5?

 

[TumbleGeorge]

Anything even close to that for 'regular' DDR5?

Yes cheapest 2 modules kit DDR5 4800 in dual("quad") channel has same data throughput around 77GB/s.

 

[Wirko]

Anything even close to that for 'regular' DDR5?

I'm wondering, but only DRAM and DIMM manufacturers hold the answer: is LPDDR5 really faster than DDR5, or is the speed advantage due to the tighter integration, very short traces, lack of connectors?

 

[AnotherReader]

I'm wondering, but only DRAM and DIMM manufacturers hold the answer: is LPDDR5 really faster than DDR5, or is the speed advantage due to the tighter integration, very short traces, lack of connectors?

All of those matter and ensure that LPDDR5 has more bandwidth than DDR5. This comes at the cost of capacity and latency. LPDDR5 has higher latency than DDR5.

 

[Denver]

Yes cheapest 2 modules kit DDR5 4800 in dual("quad") channel has same data throughput around 77GB/s.

The LPDDR5 advantage is energy efficiency, not just bandwidth.

 

[Assimilator]

Disappointed they didn't name it LPDDR5OMGWTFBBQ.

 

[Wirko]

Disappointed they didn't name it LPDDR5OMGWTFBBQ.

BBQ means latency between 30 and 60 minutes.

 

[Post Nut Clairvoyance]

I'm wondering, but only DRAM and DIMM manufacturers hold the answer: is LPDDR5 really faster than DDR5, or is the speed advantage due to the tighter integration, very short traces, lack of connectors?

Probably just a power thing, DDR on desktop has much less power (heat) concerns with fans and heat spreaders.
I think you may be right in that speed advantage is due to less resistant trace.
That said, tighter integration might be a stretch, as laptop manufacturers basically don't care about laptop memory beyond its speed rating. Timing is terrible because its not economical for them to tune it like DRAM binning brands, and firmware can be written to only accommodate OEM stick memory type, which are usually JEDEC speeds only.
2-DIMM ITX might be the economical limit of memory speed for consumers.

 

[Wirko]

Probably just a power thing, DDR on desktop has much less power (heat) concerns with fans and heat spreaders.
I think you may be right in that speed advantage is due to less resistant trace.
That said, tighter integration might be a stretch, as laptop manufacturers basically don't care about laptop memory beyond its speed rating. Timing is terrible because its not economical for them to tune it like DRAM binning brands, and firmware can be written to only accommodate OEM stick memory type, which are usually JEDEC speeds only.
2-DIMM ITX might be the economical limit of memory speed for consumers.

What about notebooks with LPDDR5, can their memory voltages/speeds/timings be manipulated at all?

I'm trying to find any data about latencies but it's apparently all secret. This is from an early JEDEC/Micron presentation:


LPDDR5-6400, for example, has a 3200 MHz clock (WCK) and an 800 MHz clock (CK). The latency numbers are in cycles of the slower clock - that's obvious from the table, so 20 maybe equals CL 80 in DDR5 terms. Or not. Write latencies are not the same, they're listed in separate tables.

 

[AnotherReader]

What about notebooks with LPDDR5, can their memory voltages/speeds/timings be manipulated at all?

I'm trying to find any data about latencies but it's apparently all secret. This is from an early JEDEC/Micron presentation:


LPDDR5-6400, for example, has a 3200 MHz clock (WCK) and an 800 MHz clock (CK). The latency numbers are in cycles of the slower clock - that's obvious from the table, so 20 maybe equals CL 80 in DDR5 terms. Or not. Write latencies are not the same, they're listed in separate tables.

Great find. The bandwidth and power efficiency comes at the cost of latency. I wouldn't expect any notebooks with LPDDR5 to expose any RAM settings. After all, the focus is power efficiency, and bandwidth, not customizability.