Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that it had begun production of 4Gb low-power DDR3 memory chips using 40nm-class process technology. The high-density memory is expected to bring significant power savings to data centers, server systems and high-end notebooks.

Samsung’s 4Gb memory chips produced at 40nm-class node supports both standard 1.5V voltage as well as “green” 1.35V voltage and can operate at up to 1600MHz. Production of the 4Gb DDR3 raises the amount of memory for use in servers to 32GB per module, which is twice the maximum density achieved with modules based on 2Gb components. Available memory modules include 16GB and 32GB RDIMMs and 8GB SoDIMMs with 1.6GHz clock-speed.

With the start of volume 4Gb DDR3 production, Samsung plans to migrate more than 90% of its DDR DRAM production to 40nm-class process technology, to provide its customers with the most cost-efficient DRAM component available today, at the same time solidifying its market-leading position.

Today, servers are equipped with an average of six registered dual in-line memory module (RDIMMs) sockets per CPU, with which up to a 96GB DRAM capacity can be accommodated. Power consumption varies depending on the component featured. A module based on 60nm-class 1Gb DDR2 components consumes 210W, while a 40nm-class 2Gb DDR3-based module consumes 55W, representing an approximate 75% savings. However, the new 40nm-class 4Gb DDR3-based module consumes a mere 36W, which represents about 83 percent savings over the 60nm-class 1Gb DDR2 module. With growing concern about energy costs in data centers, these memory power savings translate into an overall reduction in server power of 10 percent per system.

“When our 40nm-class DDR3 was first introduced last July, we were well ahead of the curve for high density, high performance DDR3. When our 40nm-class DDR3 was first introduced last July, we were well ahead of the curve for high density, high performance DDR3. Now, in just seven more months, we have introduced an ultra-low power ‘Green Memory’ – the 4Gb DDR3, which is double the density of its predecessor. At a module density of 16GB, the 4Gb based module can save 35% in power consumption, to support customer requirements for more energy-efficient designs,” said Dong-Soo Jun, executive vice president of memory marketing at Samsung Electronics.

Tags: Samsung, DDR3, 40nm, 4Gb