Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced its new wearable processor, the Exynos W920. The new processor integrates an LTE modem and is the first in the industry to be built with an advanced 5-nanometer (nm) extreme ultra-violet (EUV) process node, offering powerful yet efficient performance demanded by next-generation wearable devices.

“Wearables like smartwatches are no longer just a cool gadget to have. They’re now a growing part of our lifestyles to keep you fit, safe and alert,” said Harry Cho, vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “With the Exynos W920, future wearables will be able to run applications with visually appealing user interfaces and more responsive user experiences while keeping you connected on the go with fast LTE.”

The Exynos W920 packs two Arm^® Cortex^®-A55 cores for high-performing yet power-efficient processing and an Arm Mali-G68 GPU that boasts improved CPU performance around 20-percent and ten times better graphics performance than its predecessor. With upgraded cores and improved performance, the Exynos W920 enables faster application launches and more interactive eye-catching 3D graphical user interface (GUI) on a device’s qHD (960×540) display.

Even with the latest features and enhancements, the Exynos W920 comes in the smallest package currently available in the market for wearables with Fan-Out Panel Level Packaging (FO-PLP). The technology incorporates the Exynos W920, power management IC (PMIC), LPDDR4 and embedded multimedia card (eMMC) in the same package using System-in-Package-embedded Package on Package (SiP-ePoP) configuration. The processor’s compact size allows smartwatches to house larger batteries or don sleeker designs.

Always-on-display (AOD) for wearables, especially for smartwatches, is a widely adopted feature as it makes it effortless to take a quick look at the time, notifications, missed calls and more without the need to wake the watch up from sleep mode. Rather than powering up the main CPU, the W920 activates a dedicated low-power display processor, the Cortex-M55, reducing display power consumption under AOD mode compared to its previous Exynos model.

For seamless connected experiences on the go, the Exynos W920 is embedded with a 4G LTE Cat.4 modem as well as a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) L1 for tracking speed, distance and elevation during outdoor activities.

The Exynos W920 supports a new unified wearable platform Samsung built jointly with Google, and will be first applied to the upcoming Galaxy Watch model.

For more information about Samsung’s Exynos products, please visit http://www.samsung.com/exynos.

* Editor’s Note: Actual performance may vary depending on device and user environment.

Samsung Electronics, announced today that it is introducing the industry’s first 8-gigabyte (GB) LPDDR4 (low power, double data rate 4) mobile DRAM package, which is expected to greatly improve mobile user experiences, especially for those using Ultra HD, large-screen devices. The 8GB mobile DRAM package utilizes four of the newest 16 gigabit (Gb) LPDDR4 memory chips and advanced 10-nanometer (nm)-class* process technology.

“The advent of our powerful 8GB mobile DRAM solution will enable more capable next-generation, flagship mobile devices around the world,” said Joo Sun Choi, executive vice president of Memory Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to provide advanced memory solutions offering the highest values and leading-edge benefits to meet the escalating needs of devices having dual camera, 4K UHD and VR features.”

The new 8GB LPDDR4 operates at up to 4,266 megabits per second (Mbps), which is twice as fast as DDR4 DRAM for PCs working typically at 2,133 Mbps per pin. Assuming a 64 bit (x64) wide memory bus, this can be viewed as transmitting over 34GBs of data per second.

While many high-end ultra-slim note PCs use 8GB of DRAM currently, Samsung’s new 8GB LPDDR4 package will help other next-generation mobile devices take full advantage of its extremely high capacity. For example, equipping tablets with 8GB of LPDDR4 will enable virtual machine operation** and smoother 4K UHD video playback, popular features of many premium PCs.

The Samsung 8GB LPDDR4 DRAM provides much more efficient power consumption thanks to its use of the latest 10nm-class process technology and Samsung’s proprietary low-power circuit design. This circuit design enables the memory chip to double the capacity of the company’s 20nm-class 4GB DRAM package, while consuming approximately the same amount of power.

The 8GB LPDDR4 package has XYZ dimensions of under 15mm by 15mm by 1.0mm, which satisfies space requirements of most new, ultra slim mobile devices. Using a DRAM package thinner than 1.0mm enables stacking the package together with UFS memory or a mobile application processor, depending on device manufacturers’ preferences, which will allow further space savings on the printed circuit board.

In August last year, Samsung introduced the industry-first 20-nanometer 12Gb LPDDR4 DRAM. After only a 14-month development period, Samsung is now introducing the first 10nm-class 16Gb LPDDR4 DRAM and this single-package solution of 8GB LPDDR4 DRAM, which will speed up the launch of next-generation mobile devices with even more advanced performance.

Samsung will continue to rapidly expand production of its DRAM products based on 10nm-class process technology. The company has been manufacturing 10nm-class DRAM on a leading-edge fabrication line and plans to also use the 10nm-process technology in other fabs in the near future, to meet ever-increasing demands for advanced, high-density mobile DRAM.

*10nm-class is a process technology node somewhere between 10 nanometer and 20 nanometer, and 20nm-class is a process technology node somewhere between 20 nanometer and 30 nanometer.

**A virtual machine (VM) is an emulation of a computer system that provides the functionality of a physical computer. Virtual machines allow users to run multiple operating systems (OS) on a single PC.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has begun mass producing the industry’s first NVMe* PCIe solid state drive (SSD) in a single ball grid array (BGA) package, for use in next-generation PCs and ultra-slim notebook PCs. The new BGA NVMe SSD, named PM971-NVMe, features an extremely compact package that contains all essential SSD components including NAND flash memory, DRAM and controller while delivering outstanding performance.

“Samsung’s new BGA NVMe SSD triples the performance of a typical SATA SSD, in the smallest form factor available, with storage capacity reaching up to 512GB,” said Jung-bae Lee, senior vice president, Memory Product Planning & Application Engineering Team, Samsung Electronics. “The introduction of this small-scale SSD will help global PC companies to make timely launches of slimmer, more stylish computing devices, while offering consumers a more satisfactory computing environment.”

Configuring the PM971-NVMe SSD in a single BGA package was enabled by combining 16 of Samsung’s 48-layer 256-gigabit (Gb) V-NAND flash chips, one 20-nanometer 4Gb LPDDR4 mobile DRAM chip and a high-performance Samsung controller. The new SSD is 20mm x 16mm x 1.5mm and weighs only about one gram (an American dime by comparison weighs 2.3 grams). The single-package SSD’s volume is approximately a hundredth of a 2.5” SSD or HDD, and its surface area is about a fifth of an M.2 SSD, allowing much more design flexibility for computing device manufacturers.

In addition, the PM971-NVMe SSD delivers a level of performance that easily surpasses the speed limit of a SATA 6Gb/s interface. It enables sequential read and write speeds of up to 1,500MB/s (megabytes per second) and 900MB/s respectively, when TurboWrite** technology is used. The performance figures can be directly compared to transferring a 5GB-equivalent, Full-HD movie in about 3 seconds or downloading it in about 6 seconds. It also boasts random read and write IOPS (input output operations per second) of up to 190K and 150K respectively, to easily handle high-speed operations. A hard drive, by contrast, will only process up to 120 IOPS in random reads, making the new Samsung SSD more than 1500 times faster than an HDD in this regard.

The PM971-NVMe SSD line-up will be available in 512GB, 256GB and 128GB storage options. Samsung will start providing the new SSDs to its customers this month worldwide.

As a leading SSD provider, Samsung has a history of introducing advanced SSDs ahead of the industry. In June 2013, Samsung introduced XP941 SSD in M.2 (mini PCI-Express 2.0) form factor (80mm x 22mm), which was also the industry’s first PCIe SSD for PCs. Now, Samsung plans to rapidly expand its market base in the next-generation premium notebook PC sector with the new high-performance, BGA package, NVMe SSD. Later this year, Samsung plans to introduce more high-capacity and ultra-fast NVMe SSDs to meet increasing customer needs for improved performance and greater density.

* Often shortened as NVMe, NVM Express (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is an optimized, high performance, scalable host controller interface with a streamlined register interface and command set designed for enterprise, datacenter and client systems that use non-volatile memory storage. For more information, please visit www.nvmexpress.org

** TurboWrite is a Samsung proprietary technology that temporarily uses certain portions of an SSD as a write buffer. TurboWrite delivers better PC experiences as users can enjoy much faster sequential write speeds.

With three consecutive CES Innovation Awards in the Embedded Tech category, from 2013 to 2015, Samsung is the only company to have three straight wins for mobile DRAM:

• 2013 – 2GB LPDDR3 Mobile DRAM
• 2014 – 3GB LPDDR3 Mobile DRAM
• 2015 – 4GB LPDDR4 Mobile DRAM

Here’s a historical look at Samsung’s innovations in mobile DRAM, which have been defining the cutting-edge in mobile devices for so long.

Samsung Electronics announced that it is mass producing the industry’s first 12-gigabit (Gb) LPDDR4 (low power, double data rate 4) mobile DRAM, based on its advanced 20-nanometer (nm) process technology.

The newest LPDDR4 is expected to significantly accelerate the adoption of high capacity mobile DRAM worldwide. The 12Gb LPDDR4 brings the largest capacity and highest speed available for a DRAM chip, while offering excellent energy efficiency, reliability and ease of design – all essential to developing next-generation mobile devices.

“By initiating mass production of 12Gb LPDDR4 mobile DRAM in an extremely timely manner, we now are not only helping OEMs to accelerate their moves to the next generation of mobile devices, but also providing functionality that will give mobile consumers greatly enhanced user experiences,” said Joo Sun Choi, executive vice president of Memory Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Furthermore, we intend to closely collaborate with our global customers to move beyond premium smartphones and tablets in creating new digital markets that embrace the full potential of cutting-edge technologies like next-generation mobile DRAM.”

Compared to the preceding 20nm-based 8Gb LPDDR4, the 12Gb version is more than 30 percent faster at 4,266 megabits per second (Mbps), and is twice as fast as DDR4 DRAM for PCs*, while consuming 20 percent less energy. In addition, manufacturing productivity of the 12Gb LPDDR4 has been raised more than 50 percent over that of 20nm-class** 8Gb LPDDR4, which will further fuel demand for higher memory capacity in flagship mobile devices.

The 12Gb LPDDR4 enables 3 gigabyte (GB) or 6GB of mobile DRAM in a single package using just two chips and four chips respectively, while being the only solution that can provide a 6GB LPDDR4 package. In next-generation flagship devices, 6GB of LPDDR4 mobile DRAM will allow consumers to enjoy seamless multitasking and maximum performance within the latest operating system (OS) environments. Also, based on the new 12Gb LPDDR4, the 6GB package can easily fit into the same space used for 3GB LPDDR4 packages currently available, therefore meeting the need for greater design compatibility and manufacturing productivity in advanced mobile devices.

By expanding its high-capacity memory product line based on 12Gb LPDDR4, Samsung plans to reinforce the competitiveness of its industry-leading 20nm DRAM lineup (12Gb/8Gb/6Gb/4Gb), while further solidifying the company’s position in the growing premium memory market.

Samsung also expects that due to the exceptional benefits of its LPDDR4 mobile memory, application areas will expand beyond smartphones and tablets to include ultra-slim PCs, digital appliances and automotive devices, in the coming years.