Japanese firm Elpida beats its Korean rival Samsung in the race to miniaturize microchip technology

Elpida Memory, Japan has for the first time overtaken Samsung in the race to miniaturize microchip technology, developing the world’s first DRAM made with a 25-nanometer manufacturing process. The Japanese firm Elpida overtook its Korean rival Samsung 19 years after Samsung developed a 64 MB DRAM chip in 1992. Using the most advanced process technology available Elpida has achieved the industry’s smallest chip size for a 2-gigabit SDRAM. The newly developed 25nm DRAM process technology requires 30% less cell area per bit compared with Elpida’s 30nm process. The chip output for a 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM wafer using the new process is about 30% higher versus 30nm.

The 25nm process 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM can support ultra-fast performance above DDR3-1866 (1866Mbps) and is compliant with low-voltage 1.35V high-speed DDR3L-1600 (1600Mbps). The new Elpida SDRAM is an eco-friendly as it contributes to lower energy consumption by PCs and digital consumer electronics. By the end of 2011 Elpida also plans to begin volume production of 4-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM products using the 25nm process. Both sample shipments of the new 25nm 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM and volume production are expected to begin in July 2011. Samsung currently produces chips using a 30-nanometer process, but a spokesman claimed it too will start mass production using a 25-nanometer process this year.