Micron announced that it has begun mass production of DRAM memory chips using the latest 1α process node. At the beginning of this year, Micron stated that the process node will be used for 8Gb and 16Gb DDR4 and LPDDR4 memory production. Over time, it is planned to be used for all types of DRAM, which will significantly reduce DRAM costs.
Unlike many competitors in the same industry, Micron will not use EUV lithography to produce memory chips for at least the next few years. Micron also needs to increase the density of memory chips to reduce unit cost, so other technical means must be used to reduce the size of DRAM memory chips. Compared with the 1Z process node, Micron 1α has a 40% increase in unit density and a 20% reduction in power consumption, while still providing better potential performance. Micron also needs to rely on the use of new materials.
At present, the 8Gb DDR4 memory chips produced using the 1α process node have been shipped in bulk, and this is also the first chip to use the 1α process node. At the end of this month, Micron will also ship LPDDR4X memory chips produced using the 1α process node. Eventually, the entire product line will transition to the 1α process node, including DDR5, HBM2e, and GDDR6/GDDR6X memory chips. Micron first used the 1α process node for production at the A3 fab in Taichung, Taiwan, and other fabs will also use this new technology. At the same time, Micron has completed the verification of DDR4 memory based on the 1α process on the latest server platforms, including AMD third-generation EPYC (Milan) series processors.
Micron also displayed DDR5 memory modules for user servers and revealed its DDR5 technology empowerment plan. It is expected to use DDR5 DRAM ICs and memory modules to be shipped later this year. Micron is the first company to publicly share the progress of DDR5 development. Because the new generation of memory technology is very different from the previous standards, all parties need to cooperate as soon as possible to prepare.
