Samsung’s 50nm-class, 1Gb DDR2 Memory Validated to Support Intel-based Platforms

Seoul, Korea – July 19, 2007: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that its 50 nanometer (nm)-class DDR2 (double data rate) DRAM – the industry’s most advanced DRAM (dynamic random access memory) – has been certified by Intel Corporation to work with Intel’s existing and next-generation chipsets at speeds of 800 megabits per second (Mbps). Samsung’s 1Gb DDR2 DRAM that uses the 50nm-class process technology was developed in October 2006. No other company has yet developed similar process technology for DDR2. Processing 1Gb DDR2 DRAMs in the 50nm range doubles the productivity of a 1Gb DDR2 DRAM fabricated using 80nm process technology, while improving production efficiency by 50% over DRAM produced using the 60nm fabrication process. As the use of Windows Vista-based PCs is expected to grow significantly in the enterprise markets during the second half of this year, demand for higher-capacity main memory should increase proportionately. The market is expected to shift from 512Mb DRAM to 1Gb DRAM memory and set manufacturers will transition from DDR2 to DDR3 beginning in late 2007. Samsung’s 50nm-class DRAM processing technology, now validated by Intel, will be used in mass producing DDR2 beginning the first half of next year, as well as other next-generation DRAM memory, including DDR3, GDDR4 and GDDR5, plus the latest mobile DRAM. Intel validated Samsung’s 60nm-class chip design technology last March. Samsung was the first to begin mass production at the 60nm-class earlier this year and will be the first to start mass producing in the 50nm range next year. Other companies are still employing the 60nm, 70nm or 80nm design rule.

Source: samsung.com

GM plugs in to battery technology with MIT roots

A company with roots at MIT has been selected to develop battery cells to power the Chevrolet Volt, a highly anticipated plug-in hybrid car that General Motors hopes to begin selling in 2010.

The Detroit automaker announced Thursday that it selected A123Systems of Watertown to develop battery cells to meet the specific requirements of GM's E-Flex System-a technology that is expected to allow the Volt to travel around 40 miles on battery power alone.
A123Systems was co-founded in 2001 by Yet-Ming Chiang, the Kyocera Professor of Ceramics in MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Several of the company's key early employees also came from MIT.

A123 develops nanophosphate-based cell technology, which, according to company executives, provides higher power output, longer life and safer operations than other lithium ion battery chemistries over the life of the battery. The company's proprietary Nanophosphate™ technology is built on a new, highly active nanoscale material initially developed at MIT.

"It is extremely rewarding for the MIT research team to see how far our original laboratory discoveries have come," Chiang said. "While much remains to be done, this development is yet another example of the impact that university research can have on pressing societal problems such as energy and sustainability, as well as a tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit surrounding MIT."

The Volt concept car that GM unveiled in January at the Detroit Auto Show is equipped with both a gas tank and a battery to give drivers maximum flexibility. For commuters who drive fewer than 40 miles a day, the Volt would effectively use no gasoline and create zero emissions, saving an estimated 500 gallons of gasoline a year. For drivers who put in around 60 miles a day on the road, the Volt would have a fuel efficiency of about 150 miles per gallon.

Source: mit.edu