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Samsung Starts Mass Producing Industry's First 10-Nanometer Class DRAM (engadget.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the smaller-and-smaller dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Samsung is now mass producing the industry's first 10-nanometer class, 8Gb DDR4 DRAM chips, ahead of competitors SK Hynix and Micron. It will produce 10nm-class DDR4 DRAM modules this year varying from 4GB for laptops and up to 128GB for enterprise servers. Samsung also promised to reveal 10-nanometer-class mobile DRAM "in the near future." The announcement marks a big milestone for the company after it first mass produced 20-nanometer-class 4GB DDR3 DRAM chips in 2014. "Samsung's 10nm-class DRAM will enable the highest level of investment efficiency in IT systems, thereby becoming a new growth engine for the global memory industry," said Young-Hyun Jun, President of Memory Business, Samsung Electronics. "In the near future, we will also launch next-generation, 10nm-class mobile DRAM products with high densities to help mobile manufacturers develop even more innovative products that add to the convenience of mobile device users."

43 comments

  1. SIMM modules?! by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    A SIMM, or single in-line memory module, is a type of memory module containing random-access memory used in computers from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. It differs from a dual in-line memory module (DIMM), the most predominant form of memory module today, in that the contacts on a SIMM are redundant on both sides of the module. SIMMs were standardised under the JEDEC JESD-21C standard.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIMM/

    1. Re:SIMM modules?! by deadwill69 · · Score: 1

      Seems somebody should have at least read the article. No mention of SIMM that I found.

    2. Re:SIMM modules?! by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

      No mention of SIMM that I found.

      Seems somebody should have at least read the summary: "It will produce SIMM modules this year varying from 4GB for laptops and up to 128GB for enterprise servers."

    3. Re:SIMM modules?! by ihtoit · · Score: 1

      somebody should have gone to Specsavers, it's right there on the second line of the fucking summary.

      --
      Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
    4. Re:SIMM modules?! by sexconker · · Score: 0

      SIMM modules? Where's the nearest ATM machine?

    5. Re:SIMM modules?! by suutar · · Score: 0

      not anymore

    6. Re:SIMM modules?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why, so you can use your PIN number?

    7. Re:SIMM modules?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, but it's still in the Engadget article, which is the second link in the summary.

      "It will produce SIMM modules this year varying from 4GB for laptops up to 128GB for enterprise servers."

      Because Steve Dent at Engadget doesn't know what the editing process is or why many writers see it as a necessary step between writing and publishing. The fact that the second link is even included makes one suspicious that this was only put here on /. to drive traffic to the Engadget "article", because it doesn't offer anything of value beyond the actual original Samsung release.

    8. Re:SIMM modules?! by ihtoit · · Score: 0

      well, shit. I should've got a screengrab.

      --
      Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
    9. Re:SIMM modules?! by suutar · · Score: 1

      I'm not disbelieving you, please note. I just wish we got to edit our comments like editors get to edit summaries :)

    10. Re:SIMM modules?! by ihtoit · · Score: 1

      I feel ya.

      --
      Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
    11. Re:SIMM modules?! by deadwill69 · · Score: 1

      Yes. The summary does say that, but the article doesn't so maybe somebody should have rta. Either way, the summary is incorrect. Technically and based on content.

    12. Re:SIMM modules?! by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

      You obviously read the first link but not the second link (see below) that mentioned the SIMM modules, as someone else already pointed out to you.

      http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/05/samsung-first-to-market-with-10-nanometer-dram/

    13. Re:SIMM modules?! by deadwill69 · · Score: 1

      I did read the second link. It was just copied for the summary. Thus being incorrect also. As you posted originally in the wikipidea link, I was agreeing that SIMM's haven't been used for many years and were incorrect. At least that's what I though you meant. I see how my comment could have been misinterpreted now. It was not directed at you, but the editor. My apologies if I came off that way.

  2. GB is NOT the same a Gb by chaoskitty · · Score: 1

    Come on... Of all the news sites out there, people on this site should be better at using the proper capitalization. They're making 8 gigaBIT chips which will be seen in 128 gigaBYTE DIMMs

    1. Re:GB is NOT the same a Gb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I doubt it. It would require 128 8Gb chips to make a 128GB module, so both must be in bits.

    2. Re:GB is NOT the same a Gb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But the 4GB in the same sentence is in bytes, so...

      Anyway, 128 dies is not totally impossible, you could have 8 stacked die per package and 16 packages per DIMM.

      It all depends on the meaning of the word "chip".

    3. Re:GB is NOT the same a Gb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Steve Dent at Engadget (whose "article" is used as the /. summary above, and whose link is probably only included in the shoddy summary as click-bait for slashdotters) is apparently a fuckwit who doesn't understand the difference between a little-b bit and a BIG-B Byte. He also either doesn't know what formats memory modules currently come in, or he hasn't purchased any memory in the past 15 years, or he has a nasty habit of fat-fingering his D into an S and not properly editing his "articles" before publishing them.

      From Samsung's actual statement (the first link in the /. summary above), OP is absolutely, 100% correct: "Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has begun mass producing the industry’s first 10-nanometer (nm) class, 8-gigabit (Gb) DDR4 (double-data-rate-4) DRAM chips and the modules derived from them." "Samsung’s roll-out of the 10nm-class (1x) DRAM marks yet another milestone for the company after it first mass produced 20-nanometer (nm) 4Gb DDR3 DRAM in 2014." Those chips will be combined in "a wide array of 10nm-class DDR4 modules with capacities ranging from 4GB for notebook PCs to 128GB for enterprise servers..."

      8 Gb chips on 128 GB DIMMs (not SIMMs).

  3. Wrong unit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That 8 Gb (Gigabit) chips, not 8GB (Gigabytes)

  4. don't really care... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    About how big the tech is inside anymore.

    I do care about how much i can get per $.

  5. Win Win by helixcode123 · · Score: 1

    Faster and less power required. It's a win win. (probably lose a bit more at the cash register, though).

    --

    In a band? Use WheresTheGig for free.

    1. Re:Win Win by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 0

      Less power required = Apple will take this occasion to use smaller batteries and make their computers*/phones/tablets thinner.

      Yes, even the iMac.

  6. Classy use of Class by MiniMike · · Score: 4, Informative

    FTFA:
    *10nm-class denotes a process technology node somewhere between 10 and 19 nanometers, while 20nm-class means a process technology node somewhere between 20 and 29 nanometers.

    This has the stink of a marketing department on it. Does anyone know what the actual size is? I'm guessing it's closer to 19 nm than to 10 nm. Still an impressive achievement if it meets their claims.

    Next year will their marketing department tout their 0 nm-class* process technology?

    1. Re:Classy use of Class by blankinthefill · · Score: 2

      The story I read said that there were unconfirmed whispers that it was 18nm. It still IS impressive, like you said, but that 10nm-CLASS shit is so misleading. Just tell it like it is, it's already impressive enough.

    2. Re:Classy use of Class by tlhIngan · · Score: 3, Informative

      This has the stink of a marketing department on it. Does anyone know what the actual size is? I'm guessing it's closer to 19 nm than to 10 nm. Still an impressive achievement if it meets their claims.

      Well, general random logic is at 22nm, and memory class devices are usually a half-node ahead, so 16-18nm would be the size. Size is less important for general logic as most transistors will be larger than minimum size as transistors aren't the limiting factor - wiring is. Most transistors are larger because there's plenty of space as the wiring is keeping the transistor density low. Enough such that designers often put in extra transistors and gates in a design to be able to allow for metal layer redesigns without affecting transistor level placement.

      In memory units, minimum transistors are the storage elements, so the smaller they are, the more you can fit in. Plus, their extreme regularity means you want to minimize the cell size as much as possible.

      General logic is sparse enough that in what a few hundred thousand transistors occupies for random logic may be occupied by millions for memory blocks.

    3. Re:Classy use of Class by Teun · · Score: 1

      Teenagers can be between 10 and nearly 20.

      --
      "The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
    4. Re:Classy use of Class by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      TEENagers are between thirTEEN and nineTEEN.

    5. Re:Classy use of Class by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      True, if you use JAE 13 or JBE 19.
      If you use JA or JB, the limits are 12 and 20.

    6. Re:Classy use of Class by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      It's even money for any process in production today whether there are *any* features that match the name of the node. "10nm" just means that it is the node that comes after "14nm".

      Any actual dimensions are closely held trade secrets that get scrubbed out of any material that makes it to the public, and most material circulated within the company. This is especially fun when you have to send a test case to an external CAD tool vendor where you have to scale it to some abstract units.

    7. Re:Classy use of Class by viking80 · · Score: 1

      This is not marketing. Intel used to have a tick-tock modle shrinking the process down with a tick og tock every 18 month. Samsung chairman, as a response, said that Samsung does the same, only in 15 month. Now the poor engineers have to deliver this unachievable goal.

      They can not do this, and they find some feature in the design that is 10nm. and call it 10nm class.

      For comparison, the 65nm process has transistor gate length down to 25nm, pitch between lines over 120nm etc. So in reality, below 32nm there has been a lot of smoke and mirrors like redefining process linewidth.

      --
      don't cut it off www.mgmbill.org
    8. Re:Classy use of Class by Lost+Race · · Score: 1

      Well, general random logic is at 22nm, and memory class devices are usually a half-node ahead, so 16-18nm would be the size.

      CPUs are at 14nm already.

  7. Seriously by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know that's an episode from the last season. You don't need to impress me, I have a block in my mind for your shit.

  8. row hammer resistance ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Nice and all, but are these chips secured against row hammer style attacks ? (Or better said, are they reliable )
    The smaller the chip feature, the bigger of a problem this becomes.

    1. Re:row hammer resistance ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Once the competition comes out with their 10nm DRAM modules it's Hammer Time! In the DDR3 case, the problem was something to do with the process and it could be fixed, as the statistics show for the later modules from the Jan. 2015 onwards.

  9. "10 nm Class" means 10nm to 19nm by jaa101 · · Score: 1

    Samsung say "10nm-class denotes a process technology node somewhere between 10 and 19 nanometers, while 20nm-class means a process technology node somewhere between 20 and 29 nanometers." They are carefully not saying exactly what scale technology is actually being used for this product and it could easily be 14nm or more.

  10. Most likely misleading by godamntheman · · Score: 1

    Note the asterisk leading to Samsung's disclaimer: "10nm-class denotes a process technology node somewhere between 10 and 19 nanometers".

  11. Looks like Intel/Micron 3D-Xpoint won't rule... by ffkom · · Score: 1

    ... the market in 2016 or 2017. Do you remember the hype when articles claimed there soon would be no more need for classical DRAM because of that magic new technology of persistent memory?

    1. Re:Looks like Intel/Micron 3D-Xpoint won't rule... by Megol · · Score: 1

      Actually no. 3D XPoint isn't (at least at the time) a replacement for DRAM as it is slower, it is a good replacement for (some) flash memory as it is persistent and have significantly better access times. Intel and Micron have never claimed otherwise.

    2. Re:Looks like Intel/Micron 3D-Xpoint won't rule... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you remember the hype when articles claimed there soon would be no more need for classical DRAM because of that magic new technology of persistent memory?

      No, I remember clueless "journalists" claiming that, with plenty of comments on /. pointing out that "cheaper than DRAM, faster than NAND" in a marketing slide == "slower than DRAM, more expensive than NAND".

  12. Vulnerable to Rowhammer attack? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So, what is the industry doing about the 'Rowhammer' attack on ram modules?

  13. Rowhammer by TheMadTopher · · Score: 1

    And the rowhammer exploiters salivate.

  14. Re:DRAM is for LUDDITES. by bn-7bc · · Score: 0

    hmm I must be getting old. I see this posted everywhere but have yet to understand what the h it means?