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We’ve accomplished something truly unexpected, and something we never imagined possible. Micron has generously provided us with two of their newly released, cutting-edge 1y LPDDR5X SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory) mobile chips, giving us the opportunity to showcase the fastest, most power-efficient, and most compact memory package available in the world today.
We’re always a bit amused when oversized packages arrive, especially when their contents are surprisingly small. This time was no different. The outer box measured 15″ x 8″ x 5″, containing a perfectly fitted inner box. Inside, we found a large silver anti-static envelope, designed to shield against electrostatic discharge, moisture, and direct light; conditions these chips should never be exposed to. Nestled within was a two-piece plastic carrier holding two of Micron’s 1y (1-gamma) LPDDR5X SDRAM chips.
Why should this matter to you? Because you’re already holding something very similar in your hand every time you pick up your smartphone. This 1y (1-gamma) LPDDR5X SDRAM chip plays a key role in making your phone thinner, more powerful, and longer-lasting than ever before. But before we dive into what it means for your device, let’s take a closer look at its incredibly compact size… and how such a technological feat is even possible.
In the photo, it’s shown next to a Canadian dime and the maple leaf we mentioned earlier, giving you a sense of just how small it really is. For even more perspective, it’s only 80% the thickness of a credit card, or roughly the same as six sheets of standard paper.
The 1y LPDDR5X SDRAM chip measures just 14 x 12.4 x 0.61 mm, making it an incredibly compact piece of technology. It features a 496-ball Fine-Pitch Ball Grid Array (FBGA) on the underside for high-density connections and is 6% thinner than any comparable chip on the market today.
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I consider one of humanity’s greatest achievements to be our ability to transform ordinary silica sand into silicon wafers, the foundation for technologies like DRAM, SDRAM, flash memory, SSDs, and CMOS image sensors. Our recent article covering our tour of Micron’s fabrication facility in Boise, Idaho offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the technology we rely on every day, often without even realizing it.
The photo above shows Micron’s latest 1y (1-gamma) LPDDR5X SDRAM chip resting on a silicon wafer, similar to the type it would have been cut from, though not the exact one. The wafer pictured has already undergone part of the manufacturing process and is not a freshly manufactured flash wafer. This cutting-edge chip was produced using Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, a process we’ve previously detailed [here].
Focusing specifically on the 1y DDR5X SDRAM chip, this mobile component delivers impressive performance with speeds of up to 10.7Gbps, an 11% improvement over the previous generation. It features a 4-channel architecture and achieves a 20% reduction in power consumption. The smaller footprint and enhanced power efficiency directly contribute to longer battery life and improved smartphone performance, as shown here:
Think of LPDDR5X SDRAM like building a new home. When constructing a house, having a dedicated room to store your tools makes the work much faster than constantly running out to your vehicle to grab them. Similarly, SDRAM acts as a fast-access storage area for multiple running applications. This quick retrieval is what allows us to switch between apps on our smartphones so smoothly and swiftly. Micron 1y (1-gamma) LPDDR5X SDRAM just made things all that much faster.
Now, let’s take one final look at just how incredibly small the Micron 1y LPDDR5X SDRAM chip really is. Here it is, resting atop the PCIe component screw of our TSSDR Enterprise Test Bench :
And this is our test bench depicting how truly small that screw really is. Enjoy!
