Japanese memory speclalist Elpida has announced the world's smallest LPDDR2 memory chip - potentially paving the way to higher capacities or smaller sizes for mobile devices.
Designed to target smartphones and - for obvious reason that start with i and and in Pad - the burgeoning tablet and slate PC market, the 2Gb chip requires a mere 1.2V operating voltage - meaning it should be pretty friendly to devices' batteries - while managing a pretty nippy 8.5GB/s data transfer rate in a 64-bit configuration.
Available to manufacturers as a bare chip for integration into their own product designs, Elpida will also be launching the new memory as an FBGA module - which will, thanks to the company's die-stacking technology, reach capacities of up to 8Gb.
The 40nm chip is expected to start shipping to customers in small quantities in August, while mass production isn't due to begin until September - following the completion of work to expand the company's 40nm production line at its plant in Hiroshima, where the new chips will become the main output.
By shrinking the size and power requirements down to the bare minimum, Elpida hopes to encourage manufacturers to use ever-increasing amounts of RAM in their devices - which is good news for anyone who hopes to get the maximum performance out of their future smartphone or slate.
So far no companies have come forward to announce products featuring Elpida's latest LPDDR2 technology, but if it proves as impressive as the company's claims devices should start popping up by the end of the year.
Are you impressed to see the strides made in low-power memory, or do smartphone manufacturers need to concentrate on the high-power components - such as the screen or the 3G transceiver - before worrying about a fraction of a volt on RAM? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
Designed to target smartphones and - for obvious reason that start with i and and in Pad - the burgeoning tablet and slate PC market, the 2Gb chip requires a mere 1.2V operating voltage - meaning it should be pretty friendly to devices' batteries - while managing a pretty nippy 8.5GB/s data transfer rate in a 64-bit configuration.
Available to manufacturers as a bare chip for integration into their own product designs, Elpida will also be launching the new memory as an FBGA module - which will, thanks to the company's die-stacking technology, reach capacities of up to 8Gb.
The 40nm chip is expected to start shipping to customers in small quantities in August, while mass production isn't due to begin until September - following the completion of work to expand the company's 40nm production line at its plant in Hiroshima, where the new chips will become the main output.
By shrinking the size and power requirements down to the bare minimum, Elpida hopes to encourage manufacturers to use ever-increasing amounts of RAM in their devices - which is good news for anyone who hopes to get the maximum performance out of their future smartphone or slate.
So far no companies have come forward to announce products featuring Elpida's latest LPDDR2 technology, but if it proves as impressive as the company's claims devices should start popping up by the end of the year.
Are you impressed to see the strides made in low-power memory, or do smartphone manufacturers need to concentrate on the high-power components - such as the screen or the 3G transceiver - before worrying about a fraction of a volt on RAM? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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