Samsung 1d DRAM Mass Production Roadmap Revealed: Equipment Set for Q2 Next Year, Production Could Begin by Year-End

According to South Korean media reports, Samsung Electronics is collaborating with multiple partners to accelerate the development of equipment for mass‑producing its seventh‑generation 10‑nanometer‑class (1d) DRAM. Industry insiders revealed that although the timeline may be subject to adjustment, the mass‑production equipment is expected to be rolled out in the second or third quarter of next year.

The circuit line width of 1d DRAM is 10 to 11 nanometers. Currently, the latest commercially available product is the sixth‑generation 1c DRAM, with a line width of approximately 11 to 12 nanometers. It is known that narrower line width enables better performance and energy efficiency in DRAM.

Although the industry had earlier predicted that Samsung would begin mass production of 1d DRAM as early as this year, that target is now considered unlikely to be met, as the related equipment is still under development. Considering the time required for equipment installation, testing, and preparation for actual mass production, Samsung Electronics is expected to begin initial volume production of 1d DRAM as early as the end of next year.

Sources close to the matter indicated that 1d DRAM is one of Samsung's more rapidly advancing internal process development projects, and that related plans are expected to become clearer by the end of this year. 

Samsung's 1d DRAM is projected to be used as the core chip for the ninth‑generation high‑bandwidth memory (HBM5E), which the company aims to commercialize in 2029.