Intel Taps Samsung for Lunar Lake LPDDR5X: Memory Market Moonshot?

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At the recent CES 2024 event, Intel’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of Sales, Marketing, and Communications, Michelle Johnston Holthaus, showcased the next-generation Lunar Lake chip. She also mentioned Arrow Lake, confirming that both processors are slated for release between this autumn and the end of the year.

As reported by DigiTimes, Intel has entered into a contract with Samsung, which will supply LPDDR5X for Intel’s Lunar Lake chips. If the information is accurate, this could represent a significant triumph for Samsung, given the expected volume of Lunar Lake shipments.

Previously leaked information suggests that Intel will launch at least four Lunar Lake products, including:

  • Core 7 32GB – 4 Performance cores (P-cores) + 4 Efficiency cores (E-cores) and 8 Xe-cores
  • Core 7 16GB – 4P+4E and 8 Xe-cores
  • Core 5 32GB – 4P+4E and 7 Xe-cores
  • Core 5 16GB – 4P+4E and 7 Xe-cores

Intel offers dual-channel LPDDR5X-8533 memory in 16GB and 32GB configurations, utilizing Memory on Package (MoP) technology, meaning the memory is directly integrated, reducing power consumption and size. The package size is 27.5 x 27 mm, featuring a CPU, GPU, and a separate SoC module. Samsung will likely supply these LPDDR5X-8533 memories, though it remains unclear if Samsung is the exclusive supplier.

Lunar Lake is designed for low-power mobile platforms, with chips ranging from 8W to 30W. The 8W models can operate fanless, while 17W to 30W models require fans. These chips feature Lion Cove architecture for P-cores and Skymont architecture for E-cores, supporting up to 4 P-cores and 4 E-cores. They use the next-generation Battlemage’s Xe2-LPG architecture, with up to 8 Xe-cores, supporting real-time ray tracing, VCC/H.266 hardware video decoding, and DP 1.4, HDMI 2.1, eDP 1.4/1.5 video outputs. They integrate the next-generation NPU 4.0 neural processing unit, support PCIe 5.0/4.0 x4 interfaces, include Thunderbolt 4 with up to 3 USB4 ports, and integrate Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 support via a BE201 network card based on the CNVio2 interface.

Notably, the computing modules of Lunar Lake are likely manufactured using TSMC’s N3B process.

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