DDR3 memory successor coming next year, Micron says

IDG News Service - Micron on Monday said that DDR4 memory -- the successor to DDR3 DRAM -- will reach computers next year, and that the company has started shipping samples of the upcoming DDR memory type.

The new DDR4 memory is more power-efficient and faster than the current DDR3 memory, which is found in most new computers that ship today. DDR4 memory will shuffle data at faster rates inside computers.

New forms of DDR memory first make it into servers and desktops, and then into laptops. Micron said it hopes that DDR4 memory will also reach portable devices like tablets, which currently uses forms of low-power DDR3 and DDR2 memory.

DDR4 memory units are expected to draw less power, starting at 1.2 volts compared to 1.5 volts for DDR3. The DRAM will also transfer data at a brisker pace, with bus speeds starting at 2133MHz. The new memory has also been redesigned to process read, write and refresh more efficiently. Faster throughput helps improve application performance and get information to storage faster.

Memory standards-setting organization JEDEC (Joint Electron Devices Engineering Council) is expected to finalize the DDR4 specification by the middle of this year. Micron expects to start volume production of DDR4 memory by the end of this year, the company said in a statement.

The first DDR4 DRAM part was co-developed by Micron with memory maker Nanya Technology, and more units will be released in the future that reach the maximum JEDEC proposed transfer speed of 3.2 gigatransfers per second.

The company in the future will offer DDR4 memory parts with standard and error-correction features.

Agam Shah covers PCs, tablets, servers, chips and semiconductors for IDG News Service. Follow Agam on Twitter at @agamsh. Agam's e-mail address is agam_shah@idg.com