[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix said on Nov. 15 it has developed a DRAM memory chip DDR5 which comes with faster speed and improved power efficiency to meet the demand from the field of big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The firm, which earlier unveiled the second-generation 10-nano class 8 gigabit DDR4, said it developed the 16 gigabit DDR5 using the same processing technology.

The chipmaker said the new DRAM consumes 30 percent less power than the preceding DDR4. SK hynix said that despite using less power, the new DRAM boasts data transmission speed of 5,200 Megabits per second, a sharp increase from the DDR4 DRAM’s 3,200Mbps.

The speed translates into processing 41.6 gigabytes of data in one second, or 11 movie files with a size of 3.7 gigabytes.

“Based on technological advancements that allowed the industry’s first DDR5 DRAM to meet the JEDEC standards, SK hynix plans to begin mass production of the product from 2020, when the DDR5 market is expected to open, to actively respond to the demands of clients,” SK hynix said. The JEDEC Solid State Technology Association is a semiconductor organization in charge of standardization of chips.

Citing data compiled by industry tracker IDC, SK hynix said DDR5 products will be able to take up 25 percent of the global market for DRAMs in 2021, expanding to 44 percent in 2022.

The 16 gigabit DDR5 is expected to hit the market in 2020.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)