Apple 64 bits,Mobile DRAM Market, and Masking Lithography

Samsung Pushes DDR3 Design & Manufacturing to New Efficiencies -

"mass producing what the company said is the most advanced 4Gb DDR3 memory based on a new 20 nanometer process technology using immersion ArF lithography...

key element of the new design and manufacturing technology is a modified double patterning and atomic layer deposition that allows for continued scaling. The new approach to double patterning enables 20nm DDR3 production using current photolithography equipment, Kadivar said. “We have found the most efficient way to manufacture high density DDR3 technology, in this case 4Gb.” Samsung has also created ultrathin dielectric layers of cell capacitors with a very high level of uniformity, which is an important contributor to higher cell performance."

While in the ecosystem of mobile DRAM products sale and marketing -

 “After the 64bit AP was first applied to the iPhone 5S by Apple last year, it was expected to become the basic performance of premium smartphones. However, companies in the Android camp cannot bring themselves to use the 64bit AP. The 64bit AP is not compatible with the Google Android OS yet…

Qualcomm has already unveiled the 64bit Snapdragon, and SEC is known to have almost developed the 64bit AP. If the OS problem is solved, it appears that Android smartphones will not have much difficulty adopting the 64bit AP.

The delayed commercialization of the 64bit mobile AP impacted on the DRAM market. 1~2GB mobile DRAMs are used in 32bit AP smartphones, but 64bit AP smartphones come with 3GB or bigger DRAMs. Memory semiconductor makers established the mobile DRAM production plan for this year in consideration of the demands for the 64bit AP. As demands are not picking up, the Q2 contract prices of mobile DRAMs are expected to go down. (http://english.etnews.com/device/2933349_1304.html)

Ron

Insightful, timely, and accurate semiconductor consulting.
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Korea's DRAM Market Suffers as Google Delays Android 64-bit

Apple introduced the first smartphone in the world to run on a 64 bit architecture last September. The iPhone 5S lead the way. Thereafter it was simply expected to become the basic performance of premium smartphones. However, Android OEMs can't match Apple's offering because Android isn't 64bit compatible at the moment even though Qualcomm has a 64bit processor ready to ship. While Samsung is hoping to be the first Android OEM to deliver a 64bit based smartphone this fall, industry Insiders aren't so sure it'll be ready in time. In fact they believe that will be pushed into sometime in 2015.

Those in the DRAM market have suffered a direct blow due to Google's inability to deliver a 64bit version of Android.