SK Hynix Unveils 128GB DDR4 memory module

SK Hynix, a South Korea based semiconductor manufacturer, reavealed on monday its new 128GB DDR4 memory module, the first of its kind in the world. The module is based on the (8Gb) DDR4 standard, the succsessor to DDR3 (the current state of the art.) Doubling the density of the existing 64GB standard was accomplished by using a 20nm process with Through Silicon Via or TSV. TSV is a integrated circuit manufacturing technique that allows vertical electrical connections, drastically reducing the length of connections overall and increasing the density of the circuit.

Pictured: Hynix RAM module

These memory modules are intended for the high-density server market. They clock in at 2133Mbps over a 64-bit IO bus, meaning they can process up to 17GB of data per second. Another major breakthrough of this module is that it operates at only 1.2V compared to 1.35V of DDR3, which will have cost saving implications in a corporate server environment.

According to Gartner, an American information technology research company, the server DRAM market is expected to grow 37% anually until 2018. DDR4 is expected to be certified by by customers this year, and commercialized in 2015. Gartner also estimates that DDR4 will be the main industry standard starting in 2016.