Not Every DRAM Is the Same! What’s the Difference between DDR and LPDDR?

Smartphones and computers are very integrated into our daily lives, and are therefore often replaced and updated in short periods. That is why when we buy these devices, we meticulously check not only the brand, the model, and the prices, but also their specifications including the performance features. The most important performance feature that consumers look for is “speed.” RAM is one of the key features that determines a device’s speed. RAM is short for “Random Access Memory,” which enables quick memory processing with its ability to read information in a random order instead of reading it in consecutive order. Among the many different kinds of RAM, DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) is the most-commonly used kind today. It has a simple structure and a lot of storage capacity, and it is also fast. This is why it is commonly used in computers and mobile devices to operate the central processing unit. The Evolution of DRAM, DDR and LPDDR Before we understand how memory works, let us learn about a CPU’s clock rate, which is used to measure a computing device’s performance level. The clock rate measures the frequency of digital signals made of 0s and 1s. For example, 1GHz (gigahertz) would mean that there are a billion pulses per second. All PC components, including the CPU, read and write data along this pulse. When seeing news on new memory DRAM technology or checking a PC’s specifications, you must have seen something called “DDR DRAM.” DDR is short for “Double Data Rate,” and it is the high-speed memory technology newly selected by an international organization named the JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) in the late 1990s. The first DRAM models sent or received one piece of data per pulse in line with the computer’s rhythm. But as the CPU speed increased dramatically, we needed memory that was just as fast to keep up. That, along with the increase of mobile phone use, led to energy saving becoming very important. That is how DDR DRAM, which can exchange data twice per pulse with much less energy, came about. With the development of DDR DRAM, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4, and more products with increased data exchange speed were released. All products of DDR DRAM process 2 pieces of data per pulse. However, the speed is increased by increasing the pulse frequency and not the amount of data exchanged per pulse. DDR’s maximum data transfer speed is 400Mbps, DDR2 at 800Mbps, and DDR3 at 1,600Mbps. The speed doubles at the most with each generation, while the operating voltages are 2.5V, 1.8V, 1.5V, respectively, in a decreasing trend. Moreover, in mobile devices like smartphones and tablet PCs, energy-saving DRAM, LPDDR (Low Power Double Data Rate), is used. Like DDR, mobile DRAM can be specified into MDDR, LPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, LPDDR5, and more. And with each generation, the data processing speed and energy-saving capacity increases. Samsung Electronics, with their cutting-edge technology, continue to write history in DRAM with their accelerated developments to invent the world’s first, the largest, and the fastest products. The age of high-speed data transfer begins, where 9 full-HD movies send on mobile devices in just 1 second Last July, Samsung Electronics left the world in awe once again by becoming the world’s first to mass-produce the fastest 12Gb (gigabyte) LPDDR5 (Low Power Double Data Rate 5) Mobile DRAM to keep up with the 5G generation. Last February, based on this mobile DRAM, they announced that they would be the only one in the industry to mass-produce 16GB (gigabyte) LPDDR5 mobile DRAM with a legendary speed and storage capacity. This 16GB LPDDR5 mobile DRAM package is equipped with 8 2nd-generation 10-nano (1y) 12Gb chips and 4 8Gb chips. It can process 44GB of data, approximately 9 full-HD movies (5GB), in just 1 second. Mobile DRAM’s endless innovations. Shall we learn more about Samsung Electronics’ 10-year history in mobile DRAM?