Samsung announced that it would begin ramping up production of its 12nm DDR5 RAM, which uses a 12-nanometer (nm) class process node. This mass production of said RAM — coming when the overall market for memory chips has seen a decline — is proof of the manufacturer’s intention to remain an industry leader.
Samsung stated that the new chips’ power consumption, when compared to the previous generation, has been reduced by 23% meaning that server and data center operators are able to reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint. The new chip also has a maximum speed of 7.2Gbps, giving it a processing speed of 60GB per second. And though these chips are mainly targeted for data centers, AI, and more advanced computing applications, hardcore gamers are sure to benefit from the increased specs.
This follows the news of Samsung’s development of the 14nm based 16GB DDR5 RAM that was announced in November 2021 and was validated for use on Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon mobile platforms in March 2022.
ZDNet reported that the new RAM “has been verified for compatibility with AMD in December [2022] already” and that Samsung is currently working with more global IT companies.
This could be a game-changer for gamers
Samsung announcing mass production of the 12nm DDR5 RAM is great news for plenty of industries, including gaming. Not only because it’ll make the tech more readily available but for cheaper too. One of the ways this is supported is that the new chip has 20% more wafer productivity, meaning that more chips can be produced out of a single wafer due to the smaller size compared to the previous generation.
Back in 2022, it was already reported that pricing per GB had been decreasing from 2021. According to statistics from ComputerBase, the price of memory in 2022 was €5 per gigabyte (around $5 / £4 / AU$7.50), a massive decrease from the €15 per gigabyte (around $16 / £13 / AU$22) average at the end of 2021.
Now with this Samsung news, we’ll not only be seeing more of the advanced 12nm-based RAM but an overall decrease in pricing for DDR5 RAM due to a much higher supply. And since the tech giant has confirmed that its new memory is compatible with AMD products, expect to see the new RAM in both its graphics cards and processors.
Of course, compatibility is another issue, as DDR5, in general, requires an AMD AM5 or Intel LGA 1700 socket motherboard to support it. While AMD’s Zen 4 chips already require it, the problem is a lack of backward compatibility with DDR4, but one that isn't as big a deal as it was last year. That will just have to be smoothed out by time and advancement, as more companies adapt to the DDR5 format.
