SK hynix Inc. has developed 1Znm 16Gb DDR4 DRAM, offering the industry’s largest density for a single chip and the largest total memory capacity per wafer compared to existing DRAMs.

The productivity of the new DRAM has improved by about 27% compared to the previous generation, 1Ynm. Its manufacturing does not require highly expensive extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, which gives it a competitive edge cost-wise.

The new 1Znm DRAM also supports a data transfer rate of up to 3,200Mbps, which is the fastest data processing speed in DDR4 interface. SK hynix says it significantly increased its power efficiency by reducing power consumption by about 40% compared to modules of the same density made with 1Ynm 8Gb DRAM.

SK hynix applied a new substance not used in the manufacturing process of the previous generation, maximizing the capacitance of this 1Znm product. Capacitance, the amount of electrical charge a capacitor can store, is a key element of DRAM operation. A new design has also been introduced to increase operational stability.

SK hynix will start mass production and full-scale delivery of the new DDR4 chips next year. The South Korean company plans to expand the 1Znm technology process to a variety of applications, such as LPDDR5, the next generation mobile DRAM, and High-Bandwidth Memory 3 (HBM3,) the fastest DRAM to be.