Transcend Information Inc. (Transcend), a global leader in storage solutions, is proud to announce its new DDR5 6400 CUDIMM DRAM modules. Designed specifically for gamers, content creators, DIY PC enthusiasts, and demanding professionals, these modules offer enhanced performance and stability to meet varying speed and capacity requirements. Optimized from standard DIMMs, CUDIMMs include a Client Clock Driver (CKD) for stable and efficient operation, making them ideal for high-performance desktop systems that require greater bandwidth and reliability.

With data transfer rates of up to 6400 MT/s, Transcend's DDR5 6400 DRAM modules significantly boost gaming performance, video editing smoothness, and large file processing speeds. Whether you are tackling the latest AAA gaming titles, editing high-resolution videos, or multitasking across multiple applications, these modules keep your system running smoothly even under extreme load and deliver an exceptional user experience. Plus, built-in on-die Error Correction Code (ECC) technology ensures data integrity, safeguarding important files, game progress, and creative content.

TrendForce's latest research report highlights that the NAND Flash industry will continue to face dual pressure from weak demand and oversupply in 2025. In response, manufacturers including Micron, Kioxia/SanDisk, Samsung, and SK hynix/Solidigm have similar plans to cut production—a move that could accelerate industry consolidation in the long term.

TrendForce reports that NAND Flash manufacturers are primarily implementing production cuts by lowering utilization rates and delaying process upgrades. These actions are driven by three major factors:

Thermaltake, a leading PC DIY brand for premium hardware solutions, proudly launches today at CES 2025 the TOUGHRAM XG RGB D5 7200 MT/s 32 GB (16 GB x2), now equipped with the latest CKD (Client Clock Driver) technology. This new addition to Thermaltake's high-performance DDR5 memory lineup integrates advanced technology with a sleek design, offering an exceptional solution for PC enthusiasts and professionals. With CKD technology, the TOUGHRAM XG RGB D5 Memory ensures superior signal integrity, improved power efficiency, and enhanced overclocking stability, delivering consistent performance under the most demanding workloads. Ideal for gaming, creative projects, and AI-driven applications, this memory module is engineered to exceed the expectations of modern high-performance computing.

"Thermaltake is committed to redefining the limits of DRAM memory technology to meet the evolving needs of gamers and professionals," said Kenny Lin, CEO of Thermaltake. "The TOUGHRAM XG RGB D5 with CKD technology exemplifies our dedication to delivering cutting-edge solutions that offer superior speed, stability, and customization; whether for serious gamers, creators, or even AI development, this memory sets a new benchmark in high-performance computing."

Micron at the 2025 International CES showed us product that hint at the company planning a strong comeback to the client and PC-DIY market segments. The company's Crucial brand is already a high-volume player in the client segment, but the company never really approached the enthusiast segment. Products like the company's new T705 Pro and P510 NVMe SSDs, and DDR5 Pro Overclocking memory, seek to change this. We begin our tour with PC memory, and the DDR5 Pro OC CUDIMMs. Crucial has jumped onto the CKD bandwagon, introducing memory modules and kits that come with DDR5-6400 out of the box, but which are geared for manual overclocking to take advantage of the 1β DRAM chips underneath (hence the name).

The company also showed us their first DDR5 CSODIMM suitable for the next generation of notebooks with HX-segment processors. This module comes with a CKD and a DDR5-6400 JEDEC-standard SPD profile out of the box. Lastly, there's the Micron-branded LPCAMM2, which comes in speeds of up to LPDDR5X-8533, and is suitable for the next generation of ultraportables.

T-FORCE, the gaming brand of global memory leader Team Group Inc., has announced the launch of the 8 TB capacity specification for T-FORCE GE PRO PCIe 5.0 SSD. Designed for users who seek exceptional performance and reliability, this SSD delivers blazing-fast read and write speeds of up to 13,500 MB/s and 11,000 MB/s, respectively. Featuring DRAM Cache technology, it excels in-game system loading and data caching, significantly enhancing overall SSD performance. The 8 TB specification is paired with the T-FORCE AirFlow SSD Cooler with advanced active cooling technology to achieve sustained high-performance operation. It meets the needs of large storage capacity and ultra-fast data transfer to provide gamers with an unrivaled gaming experience.

The T-FORCE GE PRO PCIe 5.0 SSD integrates smart performance adjustment to prevent overheating and maintain system stability. Team Group's patented graphene heatsink further enhances heat dissipation to elevate product reliability. The SSD also incorporates advanced Security Isolation technology to protect against malicious external threats, while enhanced 4K LDPC technology improves data transfer accuracy and extends product lifespan. The inclusion of Team Group's proprietary S.M.A.R.T. monitoring software allows users to monitor the health and performance of their SSD with ease, setting a new standard for storage solutions.

Corsair today announced a bounty of new hardware for PC builders and content creators, ranging from new power supplies and cases to new storage and memory offerings. In addition to all-new hardware such as the XENEON EDGE 14.5" Touchscreen, EX400U USB4 External SSD, DOMINATOR TITANIUM Wave Accessory Kit, and Corsair Custom Lab memory, there are also updates to the distinguished RMe and HXi power supplies featuring boosted capabilities for next-gen GPUs. Finally, the revamped 5000T Series of mid-tower cases introduces support for reverse-connector motherboards, making them the perfect showcase for super-clean builds.

New hardware announcements:

• XENEON EDGE 14.5" LCD Touchscreen
• RMe Series (2025) Power Supplies
• 5000T Series Mid-Tower Cases
• HXi Series (2025) Power Supplies
• EX400U USB4 External SSD
• Corsair Custom Lab DRAM
• DOMINATOR TITANIUM Wave Accessory Kit

SK hynix has returned to Las Vegas for Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, showcasing its latest AI memory innovations reshaping the industry. Held from January 7-10, CES 2025 brings together the brightest minds and groundbreaking technologies from the world's leading tech companies. This year, the event's theme is "Dive In," inviting attendees to immerse themselves in the next wave of technological advancement. SK hynix is emphasizing how it is driving this wave through a display of leading AI memory technologies at the SK Group exhibit. Along with SK Telecom, SKC, and SK Enmove, the company is highlighting how the Group's AI infrastructure brings about true change under the theme "Innovative AI, Sustainable Tomorrow."

Groundbreaking Memory Tech Driving Change in the AI Era
Visitors enter SK Group's exhibit through the Innovation Gate, greeted by a video of dynamic wave-inspired visuals which symbolize the power of AI. The video shows the transformation of binary data into a wave which flows through the exhibition, highlighting how data and AI drives change across industries. Continuing deeper into the exhibit, attendees make their way into the AI Data Center area, the focal point of SK hynix's display. This area features the company's transformative memory products driving progress in the AI era. Among the cutting-edge AI memory technologies on display are SK hynix's HBM, server DRAM, eSSD, CXL, and PIM products.

TrendForce's latest investigations reveal that the DRAM market is expected to face downward pricing pressure in 1Q25 as seasonal weakness aligns with sluggish consumer demand for products like smartphones. Additionally, early stockpiling by notebook manufacturers—over potential import tariffs under the Trump administration—has further exacerbated the pricing decline.

Conventional DRAM prices are projected to drop by 8% to 13%. However, if HBM products are included, the anticipated price decline will range from 0% to 5%.

Nanya Technology's Board of Directors today has approved a strategic partnership with PieceMakers Technology, Inc. ("PieceMakers") to jointly develop customized ultra-high-bandwidth memory solutions. As part of the collaboration, Nanya Technology will subscribe to a cash capital increase of up to NT$ 660 million, purchasing up to 22 million common shares at NT$ 30 per share in PieceMakers. Upon completion of the capital increase, Nanya Technology is expected to acquire up to approximately 38% stakes of PieceMakers.

To meet the growing demand for high-performance memory driven by AI and edge computing, this collaboration will combine Nanya Technology's 10 nm-class DRAM innovation with PieceMakers' expertise in customized DRAM design to develop high-value, high-performance, and low-power customized ultra-high-bandwidth memory solutions, unlocking new opportunities in AI and high-performance computing markets.

This week, at the 2024 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, proposes a novel 3D integrated charge-coupled device (CCD) that can operate as a block-addressable buffer memory, in support of data-intensive compute applications. Memory operation is demonstrated on a planar proof-of-concept CCD structure which can store 142 bits. Implementing an oxide semiconductor channel material (such as IGZO) ensures sufficiently long retention time and enables 3D integration in a cost-efficient, 3D NAND-like architecture. Imec expects the 3D CCD memory density to scale far beyond the DRAM limit.

The recent introduction of the compute express link (CXL) memory interface provides opportunities for new memories to complement DRAM in data-intensive compute applications like AI and ML. One example is the CXL type-3 buffer memory, envisioned as an off-chip pool of memories that 'feeds' the various processor cores with large data blocks via a high-bandwidth CXL switch. This class of memories meets different specifications than byte-addressable DRAM, which increasingly struggles to maintain the cost-per-bit-trend scaling line.

Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL), a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, today announced that it has pioneered a new custom HBM compute architecture that enables XPUs to achieve greater compute and memory density. The new technology is available to all of its custom silicon customers to improve the performance, efficiency and TCO of their custom XPUs. Marvell is collaborating with its cloud customers and leading HBM manufacturers, Micron, Samsung Electronics, and SK hynix to define and develop custom HBM solutions for next-generation XPUs.

HBM is a critical component integrated within the XPU using advanced 2.5D packaging technology and high-speed industry-standard interfaces. However, the scaling of XPUs is limited by the current standard interface-based architecture. The new Marvell custom HBM compute architecture introduces tailored interfaces to optimize performance, power, die size, and cost for specific XPU designs. This approach considers the compute silicon, HBM stacks, and packaging. By customizing the HBM memory subsystem, including the stack itself, Marvell is advancing customization in cloud data center infrastructure. Marvell is collaborating with major HBM makers to implement this new architecture and meet cloud data center operators' needs.

Marvell Technology, Inc., a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, today announced that it has pioneered a new custom HBM compute architecture that enables XPUs to achieve greater compute and memory density. The new technology is available to all of its custom silicon customers to improve the performance, efficiency and TCO of their custom XPUs. Marvell is collaborating with its cloud customers and leading HBM manufacturers, Micron, Samsung Electronics, and SK hynix to define and develop custom HBM solutions for next-generation XPUs.

HBM is a critical component integrated within the XPU using advanced 2.5D packaging technology and high-speed industry-standard interfaces. However, the scaling of XPUs is limited by the current standard interface-based architecture. The new Marvell custom HBM compute architecture introduces tailored interfaces to optimize performance, power, die size, and cost for specific XPU designs. This approach considers the compute silicon, HBM stacks, and packaging. By customizing the HBM memory subsystem, including the stack itself, Marvell is advancing customization in cloud data center infrastructure. Marvell is collaborating with major HBM makers to implement this new architecture and meet cloud data center operators' needs.

The Biden-Harris Administration has given Micron Technology up to $6.165 billion in direct funds through the CHIPS Incentives Program to back the company's manufacturing growth. The money will allow Micron to execute its plan announced in October 2022 by investing about $100 billion into Clay, New York fab, and $25 billion into Idaho over 20 years aiming to boost the United States' advanced memory manufacturing from under 2% to around 10% by 2035. This large investment aims to make the U.S. economy stronger by creating a home supply of cutting-edge DRAM chips, moreover it is expected to create approximately 20,000 job across the U.S. Micron plans to spend about $50 billion before 2030 focusing on making more advanced memory semiconductor technology.

Also, the Department of Commerce has put pen to paper on a first draft of terms with Micron. This could lead to funding of up to $275 million to upgrade its Manassas, Virginia plant. The $2 billion investment project aims to bring Micron's 1-alpha technology back to U.S. The 1-alpha process was launched in 2021 and is used for the latest LPDDR5 DRAM chips. This would boost monthly wafer production and create over 400 factory jobs. At its busiest, the project could generate up to 2,700 jobs in the local area.

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced the development of OCTRAM (Oxide-Semiconductor Channel Transistor DRAM), a new type of 4F2 DRAM, comprised of an oxide-semiconductor transistor that has a high ON current, and an ultra-low OFF current, simultaneously. This technology is expected to realize a low power DRAM by bringing out the ultra-low leakage property of the InGaZnO transistor. This was first announced at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) held in San Francisco, CA on December 9, 2024. This achievement was jointly developed by Nanya Technology and Kioxia Corporation. This technology has the potential to lower power consumption in a wide range of applications, including AI and post-5G communication systems, and IoT products.

The OCTRAM utilizes a cylinder-shaped InGaZnO vertical transistor (Fig.1) as a cell transistor. This design enables the adaptation of a 4F2 DRAM, which offers significant advantages in memory density compared to the conventional silicon-based 6F2 DRAM.

During the prestigious IEDM 2024 conference, NVIDIA presented its vision for the future AI accelerator design, which the company plans to chase after in future accelerator iterations. Currently, the limits of chip packaging and silicon innovation are being stretched. However, future AI accelerators might need some additional verticals to gain the required performance improvement. The proposed design at IEDM 24 introduces silicon photonics (SiPh) at the center stage. NVIDIA's architecture calls for 12 SiPh connections for intrachip and interchip connections, with three connections per GPU tile across four GPU tiles per tier. This marks a significant departure from traditional interconnect technologies, which in the past have been limited by the natural properties of copper.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of NVIDIA's vision is the introduction of so-called "GPU tiers"—a novel approach that appears to stack GPU components vertically. This is complemented by an advanced 3D stacked DRAM configuration featuring six memory units per tile, enabling fine-grained memory access and substantially improved bandwidth. This stacked DRAM would have a direct electrical connection to the GPU tiles, mimicking the AMD 3D V-Cache on a larger scale. However, the timeline for implementation reflects the significant technological hurdles that must be overcome. The scale-up of silicon photonics manufacturing presents a particular challenge, with NVIDIA requiring the capacity to produce over one million SiPh connections monthly to make the design commercially viable. NVIDIA has invested in Lightmatter, which builds photonic packages for scaling the compute, so some form of its technology could end up in future NVIDIA accelerators

Global sales of total semiconductor manufacturing equipment by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are forecast to set a new industry record, reaching $113 billion in 2024, growing 6.5% year-on-year, SEMI announced today in its Year-End Total Semiconductor Equipment Forecast - OEM Perspective at SEMICON Japan 2024. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment growth is expected to continue in the following years, reaching new records of $121 billion in 2025 and $139 billion in 2026, supported by both the front-end and back-end segments.

"Three consecutive years of projected growth in investments in semiconductor manufacturing reflect the vital role our industry plays in underpinning the global economy and advancing technology innovation," said Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO. "Since our July 2024 forecast, the outlook for 2024 semiconductor equipment sales has brightened, especially with stronger-than-expected investments from China and in AI-related sectors. Together with our forecast extension through 2026, it highlights the robust growth drivers across segments, applications, and regions."

The Biden administration is set to announce new, targeted restrictions on China's semiconductor industry, focusing primarily on emerging chip manufacturing equipment companies rather than broad industry-wide limitations. According to Bloomberg, these new restrictions are supposed to take effect on Monday. The new rules will specifically target two manufacturing facilities owned by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) and will add select companies to the US Entity List, restricting their access to American technology. However, most of Huawei's suppliers can continue their operations, suggesting a more mild strategy. The restrictions will focus on over 100 emerging Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturers, many of which receive government funding. These companies are developing tools intended to replace those currently supplied by industry leaders such as ASML, Applied Materials, and Tokyo Electron.

The moderated approach comes after significant lobbying efforts from American semiconductor companies, who argued that stricter restrictions could disadvantage them against international competitors. Major firms like Applied Materials, KLA, and Lam Research voiced concerns about losing market share to companies in Japan and the Netherlands, where similar but less stringent export controls are in place. Notably, Japanese companies like SUMCO are already seeing the revenue impacts of Chinese independence. Lastly, the restrictions will have a limited effect on China's memory chip sector. The new measures will not directly affect ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a significant Chinese DRAM manufacturer capable of producing high-bandwidth memory for AI applications.

Samsung Electronics today announced new leadership for the next phase of the Company's growth and to strengthen its future competitiveness, focusing on the semiconductor business.

Young Hyun Jun, Vice Chairman and Head of Device Solutions (DS) Division, was named CEO and will also become the Head of Memory Business and Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology. Jinman Han was promoted to President and will become the Head of Foundry Business, while Seok Woo Nam will become Chief Technology Officer of Foundry Business, a newly-created position.

TrendForce's latest investigations reveal that the global DRAM industry revenue reached US$26.02 billion in 3Q24, marking a 13.6% QoQ increase. The rise was driven by growing demand for DDR5 and HBM in data centers, despite a decline in LPDDR4 and DDR4 shipments due to inventory reduction by Chinese smartphone brands and capacity expansion by Chinese DRAM suppliers. ASPs continued their upward trend from the previous quarter, with contract prices rising by 8% to 13%, further supported by HBM's displacement of conventional DRAM production.

Looking ahead to 4Q24, TrendForce projects a QoQ increase in overall DRAM bit shipments. However, the capacity constraints caused by HBM production are expected to have a weaker-than-anticipated impact on pricing. Additionally, capacity expansions by Chinese suppliers may prompt PC OEMs and smartphone brands to aggressively deplete inventory to secure lower-priced DRAM products. As a result, contract prices for conventional DRAM and blended prices for conventional DRAM and HBM are expected to decline.

While Intel's primary product focus is on the processors, or brains, that make computers work, system memory (that's DRAM) is a critical component for performance. This is especially true in servers, where the multiplication of processing cores has outpaced the rise in memory bandwidth (in other words, the memory bandwidth available per core has fallen). In heavy-duty computing jobs like weather modeling, computational fluid dynamics and certain types of AI, this mismatch could create a bottleneck—until now.

After several years of development with industry partners, Intel engineers have found a path to open that bottleneck, crafting a novel solution that has created the fastest system memory ever and is set to become a new open industry standard. The recently introduced Intel Xeon 6 data center processors are the first to benefit from this new memory, called MRDIMMs, for higher performance—in the most plug-and-play manner imaginable.

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced that it has been adopted by Japan's national research and development agency, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), for its groundbreaking proposal on the Development of Manufacturing Technology for Innovative Memory to enhance the post-5G information and communication system infrastructure.

In the post-5G information and communication era, AI is estimated to generate an unprecedented volume of data. This surge will likely escalate the data processing demands of data centers and increase power consumption. To address this, it is crucial that the next-generation memories facilitate rapid data transfer with high-performance processors while increasing capacity and reducing power consumption.

Innodisk, a leading global AI solution provider, announces its DDR5 6400 DRAM series, featuring the industry's largest 64 GB single-module capacity. This 6400 series is purpose-built for data-intensive applications in AI, telehealth, and edge computing, where high performance at the edge is crucial. Available in versatile form factors, including CUDIMM, CSODIMM, and RDIMM, the series delivers unmatched speed, stability, and capacity to meet the rigorous demands of modern edge AI and industrial applications.

The DDR5 6400 series delivers a data transfer rate of 6400 MT/s, offering a 14% boost in speed over previous generations and doubling the maximum capacity to 64 GB. These enhancements make it an optimal choice for applications like Large Language Models (LLMs), generative AI, autonomous vehicles, and mixed reality, which require high-speed, reliable data processing in real time.

TrendForce reports that the focus on HBM products in the DRAM industry is increasingly turning attention toward advanced packaging technologies like hybrid bonding. Major HBM manufacturers are considering whether to adopt hybrid bonding for HBM4 16hi stack products but have confirmed plans to implement this technology in the HBM5 20hi stack generation.

Hybrid bonding offers several advantages when compared to the more widely used micro-bumping. Since it does not require bumps, it allows for more stacked layers and can accommodate thicker chips that help address warpage. Hybrid-bonded chips also benefit from faster data transmission and improved heat dissipation.

Samsung is currently mass-producing its 9th generation V-NAND flash memory chips with 286 layers unveiled this April. According to the Korean Economic Daily, the company targets V-NAND memory chips with at least 400 stacked layers by 2026. In 2013, Samsung became the first company to introduce V-NAND chips with vertically stacked memory cells to maximize capacity. However, stacking beyond 300 levels proved to be a real challenge with the memory chips getting frequently damaged. To address this problem, Samsung is reportedly developing an improved 10th-generation V-NAND that is going to use the Bonding Vertical (BV) NAND technology. The idea is to manufacture the storage and peripheral circuits on separate layers before bonding them vertically. This is a major shift from the current Co-Packaged (CoP) technology. Samsung stated that the new method will increase the density of bits per unit area by 1.6 times (60%), thus leading to increased data speeds.

Samsung's roadmap is truly ambitious, with plans to launch the 11th generation of NAND in 2027 with an estimated 50% improvement in I/O rates, followed by 1,000-layer NAND chips by 2030. Its competitor, SK hynix, is also working on 400-layer NAND aiming to have the technology ready for mass production by the end of 2025, as we previously mentioned in August. Samsung, the current HBM market leader with a 36.9% market share have also plans for its DRAM sector intending to introduce the sixth-generation 10 nm DRAM, or 1c DRAM by the first half of 2025. Then we can expect to see Samsung's seventh-generation 1d nm (still on 10 nm) in 2026, and by 2027 the company hopes to release its first generation sub-10 nm DRAM, or 0a DRAM memory that will use a Vertical Channel Transistor (VCT) 3D structure similar to what NAND flash utilizes.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced that new ROG Maximus Z890 Apex motherboards have been used to achieve 5 world records, 19 global first-place records and 31 first-place records. In the hands of some of the world's premier professional overclockers, the Maximus Z890 Apex has coaxed dazzling performance out of the latest Intel Core Ultra processor (Series 2) lineup and the latest high-performance memory kits.

Veterans of the overclocking scene will not be surprised to learn that these records were achieved with an Apex motherboard on the bench. This series has an undeniable pedigree. Since the very first model, ASUS has designed Apex motherboards for the singular purpose of helping the world's most talented overclockers shatter barriers on their way to new records.