Samsung Cuts DRAM Power With 30nm Tech

Samsung’s says its 30nm DRAM will cut laptop memory consumption by around 30 percent compared with the current 50nm components, but memory contributes little to a laptop’s power usage.

The Korean memory maker has tested its new 2Gbit memory units with customers and is now claiming the technology can help save electricity and the environment. A 4GB, 30nm module in a new-generation notebook will consume only three watts which is about three percent of the total power usage of a notebook, Samsung said.

The new DDR3 (double data rate 3) modules will be used in a wide range of products, from servers to notebooks, desktops, and future versions of netbooks and mobile devices, Samsung said.

The 30nm-class DDR3 is scheduled for mass production in the second half of this year.

Samsung said the 30-nm product reduces energy use by 30 percent over 50nm products, and also said the manufacturing process raises productivity by 60 percent over 40-nm-class DDR3. It also is twice as cost-efficient as “DRAM produced using 50-nm to 60-nm-class technology,” the company said.

DRAM, commonly used in servers of all types for boot-up and other purposes, stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor within an integrated circuit. Since real capacitors leak charge, the information eventually fades unless the capacitor charge is refreshed periodically.

Image from Samsung Hub.

Because of this refresh requirement, DRAM is considered dynamic memory as opposed to SRAM (static RAM). DRAM is used in a number of consumer and enterprise devices.