DDR5 memory went mainstream just a few months ago but Samsung is already in its early development process of the next-gen DDR6 memory.
Samsung Confirms Early Development of DDR6 Memory Has Already Begun, Utilizes MSAP Tech & Aims To Deliver Up To 17,000 Mbps Speeds
During a seminar in Suwon, South Korea, Samsung's Vice President for Test and System Package (TSP) revealed that packaging technology is required to evolve as the performance of the memory itself expands in the future. The company confirmed that it is already in the early development stages of its next-gen DDR6 memory which will be utilizing MSAP technology.
According to Samsung, MSAP is already being used by its competitors (SK Hynix and Micron) in DDR5. So what is new with MSAP? Well, MSAP or Modified Semi-Additive Process allows DRAM manufacturers to create memory modules with finer circuits. This is achieved by coating circuit patterns in empty spaces that were previously left untouched, allowing for better connections and faster transfer speeds. The next generation of DDR6 memory will not only leverage MSAP to enhance circuit connection but also adapt to the increased number of layers that will be incorporated into the DDR6 memory.
The previous tenting method only coated areas of the circular copper plate where the circuit patterns will be formed while the other areas were etched out.
But in MSAP, the areas besides the circuits are coated and the empty spaces plated, allowing for finer circuits. As the capacity and data processing speed of memory chips increase, packages must be designed to fit that, the VP said. As the number of layers increases and processes become more sophisticated, the memory package market is also expected to grow exponentially, Ko said.
In terms of fan-out, another packaging technology where the I/O terminals are placed outside the chip to allow chips to become smaller while retaining the ball layout, Samsung was applying both fan out-wafer level packages (FO-WLP) and fan out-panel level packages (FO-PLP).
Samsung expects that its DDR6 design would be finalized by 2024 but commercial usage is not expected after 2025. In terms of specifications, the DDR6 memory will be up to twice as fast as existing DDR5 memory, with transfer speeds of up to 12,800 Mbps (JEDEC) & overclocked speeds blistering past the 17,000 Mbps range. Currently, Samsung's fastest DDR5 DIMM has a transfer speed of up to 7,200 Mbps so that's a 1.7x improvement at JEDEC and 2.36x improvement with overclocked speeds for the next-gen memory chips.
With that said, memory manufacturers have already highlighted speeds of up to DDR5-12600 in the coming future so DDR5 definitely has the potential for consumer platforms. Expect faster and more tuned DDR5 memory modules later this year with the launch of AMD's Zen 4 & Intel's Raptor Lake CPU platforms.
News Source: SAMMOBILE
