Samsung Electronics says it has completed the world's first working prototype of a 512Mbit mobile DRAM chip, targeting high-end 3D graphics and streaming video in mobile phones, PDAs, portable scanners and other handheld products.

In a January 19 press release, Samsung said the new chip has been fabricated using its 90nm process technology.

Requiring a 1.8V power supply, the high-bandwidth Samsung chip is available in DDR and SDRAM formats to work with as many data transmission systems as possible. Samsung also will develop versions of the 512Mbit mobile DRAM chip for its multi-chip package(MCP) and system-in-package (SIP) devices. Two of the 512Mbit mobile DRAMs can be stacked together to provide a 1Gbit memory capacity, opening up new possibilities for mobile storage.

Samsung will begin producing the chip, configured in both a 32MbitΧ16 and 16MbitΧ32 layout, early in the second half of 2005.

The 3G mobile-phone application represents the largest market for the 512Mbit mobile DRAM. Sales of 3G phones are expected to increase by an average of 67% a year from 2004, to reach 280 million units in 2008. According to IDC, worldwide annual sales of mobile phones will reach 790 million units in 2008.

From DigiTimes