Samsung Advances 1d DRAM Development, Targeting Pilot Production by End of 2027
Alina Collins
Samsung Electronics is co-developing seventh-generation 1d DRAM with multiple equipment partners, targeting initial production by late 2027; the node is the foundation for its next-gen AI memory HBM5E, making the production timeline a direct signal of Samsung's positioning in the AI storage race.
What is 1d DRAM, and why does it matter?
1d DRAM — seventh-generation 10nm-class DRAM — shrinks circuit linewidths to roughly 10–11 nanometers, down from the current 1c generation's 11–12 nm.
Narrower lines mean higher performance and lower power draw per bit, the two metrics AI workloads demand most from memory.
This means → 1d is not an incremental node; it is the process that unlocks Samsung's next wave of AI-oriented memory products.
What does the production timeline actually look like?
Samsung aims to finish equipment installation by Q2 2027 and begin initial production by end of 2027.
The company has completed internal pre-production evaluation, including early sample fabrication.
In plain terms = Samsung can already make the chip in the lab, but the machines to make it at scale are not ready — several critical tools are still under development, and that is the real bottleneck.
Why are the tools the biggest variable?
Key manufacturing equipment for 1d DRAM remains in development; Samsung is co-developing it with multiple partners.
Some observers have floated a 2026 start, but most industry insiders consider that unlikely — no tools, no production line.
Samsung's overall 1d DRAM roadmap reportedly won't be finalized until late 2026 at the earliest. This means → the schedule still has room to shift in either direction before then.
How does this connect to the AI memory race?
Samsung plans to use 1d DRAM as the core die for HBM5E — its ninth-generation high-bandwidth memory designed for AI accelerators.
HBM5E is expected to enter commercial production around 2029; 1d DRAM is its upstream foundation — without the process node, HBM5E cannot move forward.
This reflects a broader dynamic: competition in AI memory has shifted upstream to the process-equipment layer. Whoever qualifies a 1d production line first secures the entry ticket for the next round.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.