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Samsung's new DRAM chip will make phones run faster and longer

LPDDR5 could be the standard in future AI powered mobile apps.

Samsung has been busy improving its microSD range, introducing SSDs with faster write speeds, and opening the world's biggest mobile factory, but the electronics maker doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon -- it's just completed tests on a 8Gb LPDDR5 DRAM prototype, a faster, low power RAM that will be used to power machine learning applications and AI in 5G phones.

Compared to devices that use LPDDR4X chips, the 8Gb LPDDR5 DRAM module offers a data rate which is up to 1.5 times faster. At 6,400 Mbps, LPDDR5 can transfer around 51 GB in one second, which Samsung says is the equivalent of roughly 14 HD video files. It also comes in two bandwidth flavors -- 6,400 Mbps at 1.1 operating voltage, or 5,500 Mbps at 1.05 V. LPDDR5 has been specifically engineered to reduce voltage while in active mode, but Samsung's emphasizing the 'deep sleep mode' -- a feature which slashes power usage to half of the 'idle mode' offered by LPDDR4X chips.

These power saving attempts will supposedly decrease power consumption by up to 30 percent, and in the long run, help increase the the battery life of future smartphones. While Samsung didn't spell out when LPDDR5 chips would be ready to hit the market, production will coincide with demand from global customers.