Samsung develops 4GB stacked memory
updated 08:30 am EDT, Mon April 23, 2007
Samsung Stacked RAM
Samsung this morning revealed that it had established a new, breakthrough method of creating RAM that should revolutionize the amount of storage and performance of virtually all computer memory. A new technique, dubbed a wafer-level-processed stacked package (WSP), allows the company to place memory chips on top of each other with virtually no space in between: rather than use wires that add bulk, the chips themselves contain laser-cut holes that are filled by copper links, joining each memory chip simply by placing one on top of another.
The process lets Samsung not only create stacked chips -- which result in a total of 4GB of memory on a single RAM stick -- but also creates the performance needed for next year's DDR3 memory, which could transfer as quickly as 1.6 gigabits per second per chip. The technology also has side benefits for size and power, the company adds.
No practical release dates were given for RAM available in mainstream computers, but the process isn't limited to DDR3 and should be available for any type of DDR computer memory in the near future.
