Currently, the issue of low power consumption remains a key concern in the industry. According to a recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), given that an average Google search requires 0.3Wh and each request to OpenAI’s ChatGPT consumes 2.9Wh, the 9 billion searches conducted daily would require an additional 10 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually. Based on the projected sales of AI servers, AI industry might see exponential growth in 2026, with power consumption needs at least ten times that of last year.
Ahmad Bahai, CTO of Texas Instruments, per a previous report from Business Korea, stated that recently, in addition to the cloud, AI services have also shifted to mobile and PC devices, leading to a surge in power consumption, and hence, this will be a hot topic.
In response to market demands, the industry is actively developing semiconductors with lower power consumption. On memory products, the development of LPDDR and related products such as Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module (LPCAMM) is accelerating. These products are particularly suitable for achieving energy conservation in mobile devices with limited battery capacity. Additionally, the expansion of AI applications in server and automotive fields is driving the increased use of LPDDR to reduce power consumption.
In terms of major companies, Micron, Samsung Electronics, and SK Hynix are speeding up the development of the next generation of LPDDR. Recently, Micron announced the launch of Crucial LPCAMM2. Compared to existing modules, this product is 64% smaller and 58% more power-efficient. As a low-power dedicated packaging module that includes several latest LPDDR products (LPDDR5X), it is a type of LPCAMM. LPCAMM was first introduced by Samsung Electronics last year, and it is expected to enjoy significant market growth this year.
Currently, the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) plans to complete the development of LPDDR6 specifications within this year. According to industry news cited by the Korean media BusinessKorea, LPDDR6 is expected to start commercialization next year. The industry predicts that LPDDR6’s bandwidth may more than double that of previous generation.
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(Photo credit: SK Hynix)