Micron, Winbond, Samsung announced new memory technologies and Toshiba announces 22TB hard drive

This article takes stock of some recent memory (DRAM) technology announcements from Winbond, Samsung and Micron, as well as Toshiba’s entry into the 22TB Nearline hard drive market. Larger and larger memory technologies Higher performance is needed to support growing AI workloads in data centers and at the edge, and larger capacity hard drives are required for secondary storage of generated data.

Micron announced that it has introduced 16GB DDR5 memory using its Process Node 1 Beta technology. The device operates at performance up to 7,200 MT/s. The company claims the new memory delivers up to a 50% increase in performance and a 33% improvement in performance per watt over the previous generation. The new 1β DDR5 DRAM product line offers current module densities at speeds ranging from 4,800 MT/s to 7,200 MT/s for use in data centers and client applications.

Micron’s 1 Beta technology will also be used in other memory products, including RDIMMs and MCRDIMMs using 16 GB, 24 GB and 32 GB DRAM chip, LPDDR5X using 16 GB and 24 GB DRAM chip. Go, HBM3E and GDDR7.

Winbond announced a memory technology for AI edge computing applications, Custom Ultra-Bandwidth Elements (CUBE). Winbond states that “CUBE improves the performance of front-end 3D structures such as chip-on-wafer (CoW) and wafer-on-wafer (WoW), as well as back-end 2.5D/3D chip-on-substrate Si interposer and back-end solutions. distribution.

Designed to meet the growing demands of cloud-based AI servers, it is compatible with 1-4 GB memory density and improves bandwidth while reducing power consumption. The figure below shows the structure of CUBE technology.

Winbond states that the main features of the CUBE are:

· Power Efficiency: CUBE delivers exceptional power efficiency, consuming less than 1pJ/bit, ensuring extended operation and optimized power usage.

· Superior Performance: With bandwidth capacities ranging from 64 GB/s to 256 GB/s per chip, CUBE ensures accelerated performance that exceeds industry standards.

· Compact size: Offering 1 to 8 GB/die based on D20 specification now and D16 in 2025, CUBE fits smaller form factors. The introduction of through-silicon vias (TSVs) further improves performance, improving signal integrity, power integrity and heat dissipation if the SoC is on the top die and the CUBE on the bottom die.

· Cost effective solution:

1) High bandwidth: CUBE IO speed of up to 1GHz, and legacy foundry process nodes such as 28nm/22nm SoCs can use CUBE’s ultra-high bandwidth from 32GB to 256GB/ s (HBM2), i.e. a bandwidth of 4 to 32 pieces*LP4x16.

2) SoC die size reduction: SoC (top die without TSV) is stacked on CUBE (bottom die with TSV), its die size could be smaller if TSV area penalty is removed. This will contribute to the best cost advantage on Edge AI devices.

Winbond says it is engaging with partner companies to establish a 3DCaaS (3D CUBE as a service) platform, which will leverage CUBE’s capabilities in product design.

Samsung has announced that it has developed a Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module (LPCAMM) form factor, which is expected to transform the DRAM market for PCs and laptops, and potentially even data centers. The 7.5 gigabits per second (Gbps) LPCAMM has completed system verification via the Intel platform.

According to Samsung, “Historically, PCs and laptops have traditionally used LPDDR DRAMs or DDR2-based So-DIMMs. Although LPDDR is compact, it is permanently attached to the motherboard, making it difficult to replace during repairs or upgrades. On the other hand, So-DIMMs can be easily attached or detached, but have limitations in performance and other physical features.

LPCAMM overcomes the shortcomings of LPDDR and So-DIMMs, meeting the growing demand for more efficient yet more compact detachable devices. The Samsung LPCAMM is shown below.

This removable storage module can also be used in servers and data centers. Samsung’s announcement included a quote from Dr. Dimitrio Ziakas, vice president of memory and I/O technology at Intel: “We are excited to be part of the new standard enabling the client PC ecosystem and paving the way for future adoption and innovation in border areas. Market segments.” The marketing of this new memory module is planned for 2024.

Toshiba also recently announced its 22TB MG10F series hard drive using CMR (perpendicular recording without energy-assisted magnetic recording or shingle magnetic recording) in a 10-disc helium-sealed design. With this product, Toshiba joins Western Digital and Seagate with hard drive offerings of 22TB and above. This new Toshiba Nearline hard drive is shown below.

The MG10F has 10% more capacity than the previous generation Toshiba 20TB model. The product offers performance of 7200 rpm, a working capacity of 550 TB per year and a choice of SAS or SATA interfaces. Sample shipments with SAS and SATA interfaces will be available in the 4^th quarter.

Micron announces DRAM memory devices using its 1-beta technology. Winbond announces its CUBE memory for AI applications. Samsung announces its removable LPCAMM memory modules. Toshiba joins the 22TB hard drive club.