Micron Unveils Industry First 1α DRAM Technology

Micron Technology, Inc. today announced mass shipments of 1α (1-alpha) node DRAM products, built using the world’s most advanced DRAM processes and offering significant improvements in density, power and performance. This milestone strengthens Micron’s competitiveness and complements its recent advances in manufacturing the world’s fastest graphics memory and the world’s first 176-layer NAND.

“The achievement of Node 1α confirms Micron’s DRAM excellence and is a direct result of Micron’s relentless dedication to cutting edge technology and design. With a 40% increase in memory density over our previous 1z DRAM node, this enhancement will provide a solid foundation for future memory innovation. “said Scott DeBoer, executive vice president of technology and products for Micron.Micron plans to integrate Node 1α into its DRAM portfolio this year to support all products that use DRAM today. The applications of this new DRAM technology are vast and far-reaching. Above all, the new memory will increase productivity from mobile devices to smart vehicles.

“Our new 1α technology will enable the lowest power consumption of mobile memory chips in the industry, while also bringing benefits to the data center, consumer, industry, and automotive manufacturing. With industry leadership in both DRAM and NAND technology, Micron is in excellent positions to capitalize on the increasing demand for memory and storage, which are expected to be the fastest growing segments of the semiconductor industry over the next decade, “said Sumit Sadana, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Micron.

Micron’s 1α DRAM node will help create more energy efficient and reliable memory solutions and deliver faster LPDDR5 speeds for mobile platforms that require best-in-class performance. Micron’s innovation is the lowest power consumption mobile DRAM, delivering 15% lower power consumption, allowing 5G generation mobile users to do more on their smartphones without sacrificing battery life.

The Micron Advanced Memory Node supports densities from 8GB to 16GB, providing flexibility and support for many of Micron’s current products, including DDR4 and LPDDR4, giving Micron customers the energy efficient, reliable and advanced support they need. This durability lowers costs and provides a better total cost of ownership over the life of the system in use cases such as embedded automotive solutions, industrial PCs and servers, which typically have a long lifespan.

Micron’s Taiwanese factories have begun mass production of 1α DRAM, starting with DDR4 memory for computing devices and Crucial products for consumer PCs. The company will introduce new products based on this technology during the current year 2021.