Hyundai Electronics Industries has announced the development of the next generation of 256MB SDRAM (synchronous dynamic random access memory) chips, using state-of-the-art 0.15 micron technology which, a statement said, can improve productivity by 70% and cut the size of a chip by 40%. The memory chip, first developed by Samsung Electronics early last year, is expected to replace the 64M DRAM chip, the current mainstay, in the early part of next year.
Hyundai said its product uses new technology that it calls Inner MPS cylinder to enable the net die count or number of chips per wafer to be increased by 70% at a much lower cost than the first-generation of SDRAM chips. But despite the increased efficiency, the same production lines can be used as for first-generation chips and significantly reduce the cost of upgrading production facilities, it said.
According to Hyundai the demand for 256MB SDRAMs is expected to hit 70 million units in 2000, and the company is gearing up to start mass production early in the year with the aim of capturing a 20% share of this market. The chips, which have a processing speed of 166 megahertz, run on an external voltage of only 3.3V and support all central processing units.
