Today, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, announced that it has developed and validated the world's first 40 nanometer DRAM chip and module, a 1Gbit DDR2 component and a corresponding 1GByte DDR2 SODIMM.  Both have been certified by the Intel Platform Validation program for use with Intel GM45 Express mobile chipsets.

The transition to 40nm process technology in the DRAM industry will drive further reductions in voltage requirements against 50nm chips, and Samsung expects to deliver around power savings of about 30% with the new process. The company also claims that 40nm DRAM delivers an approximately 60% increase in productivity over 50nm chips, but we are curious as to how this measurement was achieved.

In order to qualify its achievement, the company expects that its 40nm process will mark a significant step towards next generation DRAM technologies such as DDR4.  "Securing extremely advanced technology and system/platform validated operability underscores our commitment as technology leader to deploying the most efficient means of producing DRAM in the marketplace," said Kevin Lee, vice president, technical marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.