Low-power LPDDR3 memory is set to succeed
LPDDR2. Aqam Shah investigates how this could translate to faster tablets and
smartphones.
After laptops, tablets and smartphones
running on a new form of DDR3 memory designed for mobile devices could hit shop
shelves late next year.
Low-power DOR3 memory (LPOD3) is expected
to improve data -transfer rates in mobile devices. According to analysts, this
could translate to better performance and longer battery life.
The Joint Electron Device Engineering
Council (jedec) is in the process & defining the specification for LPDDR3,
which draws heavily from the DOR3 PAM found in PCs.
The mobile memory will replace LPDDR2,
which is found in current smartphones and tablets, such as Apples Pod 2.
Samsung has developed the industry’s fist 4GB LPODP3 RAM unit, which can
transfer data at up to 1,600 megabits per second 1Mbps). This is 15 times
faster than LPDDP2, and consumes 20 percent less power.
“Tablets and smartphones need a faster form
of memory as devices and applications become more resourceintensive7 said Mike
Howard a principal analyst at IHS iSuppli.
For viewing and recording HO content LP000J
will offer a better experience because of the greater amount of bandwidth
available, he added.
Mobile memory is key in improving a
device’s ability to muititask. As hardware advances include faster processors
and higher resolution screens, LPDOR3 allows the device to keep up, switching
between videos, phone calls and other applications.
LPDDR3 memory is also designed to consume
less power than its predecessor tor, said Dean Mccarron, principal analyst at
Mercury Research. A combination of low power consumption and more bandwidth
could prolong battery life. “It allows lower power consumption that has an
immediate benefit everywhere” he said.
The memory will initially be found in
tablets and high-end smartphores, where performance matters more. It won’t be
cheap but, as production Increases and LPDDR2 is gradually phased out, prices
will fall. This will be reflected in the smartphone and tablet market.
“Eventually all these technologies become a
commodity,” McCarron said.
Manufacturer backing
Intel has also been pushing the use at
low-power memory in ultrabooks, which are being promoted by the chip maker as
thin-and light laptops with tablet-like features. Analysts said there are still
many unknowns about what components these devices will use, but LPDDR3 is a
clear contender. L.PDDR3 offers close to a 15 percent power reduction compared
to standard DDR3, according to Jedec.
Manufacturer backing of LPDDR3 is likely to
increase once Jedec has finalised the specification. The world’s top RAM makers
- Samsung, Hynix Semiconductor, Elpida Memory, Micron and Nanya - are all
members of Jedec. The council hasn’t stated when the process will complete, but
analysts believe it could be by the end of 2012.
In the past, Jedec has concentrated on
speed without worrying too much about power, said Jim handy, director of
Objective Analysis. With DDR3 and LPDDR3, it’s worked to bring down the power
specifications while continuing to increase speed.
Adoption of a new type of memory depends on
other parts of the system, said Handy. For mobile phones it’s less sudden than
it is with PCs, where a single supplier dictates which interFace the chipsets
are going to support. But the power advantage is a sufficiently compelling
reason for device makers to quickly switch over to LPODR3.
“I would anticipate a quick conversion of
mobile phones to LPDDR3. In tablets, so far Apple is the only supplier of any
significance, so adoption depends solely on its moves.” Handy said.
It’s hard to predict when Samsung will ramp
up production of LPDDR3. “Samsung has announced products lately that don’t show
up in production systems for more than a year,” he said.
