SK hynix samples fastest next-gen standard memory module

South Korean memory chip supplier SK hynix said it has shipped the world’s fastest DRAM module under the double data rate 5 standard, considered a next-generation memory technology.

SK hynix shipped memory module samples that boast up to a 6,400-megabit-per-second data transfer speed and 32-gigabyte memory density earlier this month, according to the company, without specifying the date. It added the integration of the clock driver in the new samples has improved the signal integrity to achieve the unprecedented data speed.

The products for personal computers — unbuffered dual in-line memory modules and small outline dual in-line memory modules — were sampled for an undisclosed system-on-chips maker, and are undergoing testing.

“We are anticipating a broader shift to the DDR5 standard beginning next year,” Park Myoung-soo, vice president of DRAM marketing at SK hynix, said in a statement.

SK hynix has spearheaded the transition to the next-generation memory chip standard in an industry where the DDR4 standard is largely dominant. The company unveiled the world’s first 16-gigabyte DDR5 memory products in 2018 and 24-gigabyte DDR5 samples in 2021. Also, in August, SK hynix developed a DDR5-standard product that is interoperable with the CXL interface.

DDR5-standard memory products are projected to take a 20 percent market share in the DRAM market next year, and 40 percent market share by 2025. A wider application of advanced lithography technology, such as extreme ultraviolet technology, will help the chipmaker overcome technology barriers and achieve mass-production of DDR5-standard products in the 10-nanometer process, according to SK hynix.