Samsung Electronics has begun mass production of DDR2 DRAM - 512 Megabit (Mb) - on an 80 nanometer (nm) scale, claiming to be the first manufacturer in the industry to do so. The company claims that the move from 90 nm to 80 nm process technology increases production efficiency by almost 50 percent. The move was helped by the fact that 80 nm process technology utilizes several basic features of 90 nm geometries, meaning that its fabrication required a minimal number of upgrades.
Tom Trill, director - DRAM marketing, Samsung Semiconductors, said, "With demand for DDR2 at its highest level, since it made its market debut in 2004, our 80 nm technology provides us with the ability to more efficiently support the sustained demand growth that is expected in the DDR2 marketplace this year."
Gartner Dataquest - a semiconductor industry research organization, predicts that DDR2 memory will make up more than half of the entire DRAM market in 2006.