BOISE, Idaho, Nov. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU ), today announced that it is shipping qualification samples of its 1β (1-beta) DRAM technology to select smartphone manufacturers and chipset partners and has achieved mass production readiness with the world’s most advanced DRAM technology node. The company is debuting its next-generation process technology on its low-power double data rate 5X (LPDDR5X) mobile memory, delivering peak speeds of 8.5 gigabits (Gb) per second. The node delivers significant gains across performance, bit density and power efficiency that will have extensive market benefits. Beyond mobile, 1β delivers low-latency, low-power, high-performance DRAM critical to supporting highly responsive applications, real-time services, personalization and contextualization of experiences, from intelligent vehicles to data centers.
The world’s most advanced DRAM process node, 1β represents an advancement of the company’s market leadership cemented with the volume shipment of 1α (1-alpha) in 2021. The node delivers around 15% power efficiency improvement and more than 35% bit density improvement1 with a capacity of 16 Gb per nozzle.
“The launch of our 1-beta DRAM signals another leap forward for memory innovation, brought to life by our proprietary multi-pattern lithography combined with leading process technology and advanced material properties,” said Scott DeBoer, Micron’s executive vice president of technology and products. “Delivering the world’s most advanced DRAM technology with more bits per memory disk than ever before, this node lays the foundation for ushering in a new generation of data-rich, intelligent and energy-efficient technologies from the edge to the cloud.”
This milestone also follows quickly on the heels of Micron’s shipment of the world’s first 232-layer NAND in July, designed to drive unprecedented performance and areal density for storage. With these new developments, Micron continues to set the pace for the market across memory and storage innovations – both enabled by the company’s deep roots in cutting-edge research and development (R&D) and manufacturing process technology.
By sampling LPDDR5X, the mobile ecosystem will be the first to reap the benefits of 1β DRAM’s significant gains, which will unlock next-generation mobile innovation and advanced smartphone experiences – all while consuming less power. With 1β’s speed and density, high-bandwidth use cases will be responsive and smooth during downloads, launches and concurrent use of data-intensive 5G and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. In addition, 1β-based LPDDR5X will not only improve smartphone camera launch, night mode and portrait mode with speed and clarity, but it will enable shake-free, high-resolution 8K video recording and intuitive video editing in the phone.
The low power consumption per bit of 1β process technology provides the most power efficient memory technology on the smartphone market to date. This enables smartphone makers to design devices with more efficient battery life – crucial as consumers want to extend their batteries while using power-hungry, data-intensive apps.
The power savings are also made possible by the implementation of new JEDEC-enhanced dynamic voltage and frequency scaling expansion core techniques (eDVFSC) on this 1β-based LPDDR5X. The addition of eDVFSC at a doubled frequency level of up to 3200 megabits per second2 provides enhanced power saving controls to enable more efficient use of power based on unique end-user patterns.
Micron challenges the laws of physics with sophisticated lithography and nanomanufacturing
Micron’s industry-first 1β node allows higher memory capacity in a smaller footprint – enabling lower cost per data bit. DRAM scaling has largely been defined by this ability to deliver more and faster memory per square millimeter of semiconductor area, which requires shrinking the circuitry to fit billions of memory cells on a chip roughly the size of a fingernail. With each process node, the semiconductor industry has been shrinking devices every year or two for decades; But as chips have gotten smaller, defining circuit patterns on wafers requires challenging the laws of physics.
While the industry has begun to transition to a new tool that uses extreme ultraviolet light to overcome these technical challenges, Micron has leveraged its proven conductive nanomanufacturing and lithographic prowess to circumvent this still emerging technology. Doing so involves using the company’s proprietary, advanced multi-patterning techniques and indentation capabilities to pattern these minimal features with the highest precision. The increased capacity provided by this reduction will also enable devices with small form factors, such as smartphones and IoT devices, to fit more memory into compact footprints.
To achieve its competitive advantage with 1β and 1α, Micron has also aggressively advanced its manufacturing quality, engineering capability and cutting-edge R&D over the past few years. This accelerated innovation first enabled Micron’s unprecedented ramp for the 1α node one year ahead of the competition, establishing Micron’s leadership in both DRAM and NAND for the first time in the company’s history.3 Over the years, Micron has further invested billions of dollars in transforming its factories into leading-edge, highly automated, sustainable and AI-powered facilities. This includes investments in Micron’s facility in Hiroshima, Japan, which will mass produce 1β DRAM.
1-beta lays the ubiquitous foundation for a more connected, sustainable world
As energy-intensive use cases such as machine-to-machine communication, AI and machine learning gain momentum, power-efficient technologies are an increasingly critical need for businesses, especially those looking to meet stringent sustainability goals and reduce operating costs. Researchers have found that training a single AI model can emit five times the carbon emissions of an American car, including its production. Furthermore, information and communication technology is already predicted to use 20% of the world’s electricity by 2030.
Micron’s 1β DRAM node provides a versatile foundation to drive progress in a connected world that needs fast, ubiquitous, energy-efficient memory to drive digitization, optimization and automation. The high-density, low-power memory produced on 1β enables more energy-efficient flow of data between data-intensive smart things, systems and applications, and more intelligence from the edge to the cloud. Over the next year, the company will begin growing the rest of its 1β portfolio across embedded, data center, client, consumer, industrial and automotive segments, including graphics memory, high-bandwidth memory and more.
Resources
About Micron Technology, Inc.
We are an industry leader in innovative memory and storage solutions that are transforming how the world uses information to enrich life to all. With a relentless focus on our customers, technology leadership and manufacturing and operational excellence, Micron delivers a rich portfolio of high-performance DRAM, NAND and NOR memory and storage products through our Micron® and Crucial® brands. Every day, the innovations our people create drive the data economy, enabling advances in artificial intelligence and 5G applications that unlock opportunities – from the data center to the intelligent edge and across the client and mobile user experience. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU), visit micron.com.
© 2022 Micron Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Information, products and/or specifications are subject to change without notice. Micron, the Micron logo and all other Micron trademarks are the property of Micron Technology, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
1 Over the previous generation of 1-alpha
2 Compared to 1600 megabits per second enabled by DVFSC for 1-alpha
3 Following on the heels of Micron’s November 2020 volume shipment of its industry-leading 176-layer NAND
