Samsung has rushed to start production lines for the new, super-slim LPDDR5X memory. This memory could lead the way to thinner laptops (or smartphones and tablets) in the future.
Samsung has announced in a press release that it has started mass production of what it calls the thinnest 12nm LPDDR5X DRAM (low-power RAM for mobile devices) in 12GB and 16GB modules.
Samsung boasts: “With the new LPDDR5X DRAM packages, Samsung offers the industry’s thinnest 12nm-class LPDDR DRAM in a 4-stack structure, reducing thickness by approximately 9% and improving heat resistance by approximately 21.2%, compared to the previous generation product.”
A hair less than 10% thinner might not sound like a big deal, but when it comes to the cramped internals of a laptop – especially a thin and light device – every little space-saving measure matters.
We’re told the RAM module is 0.65mm thin to be exact, about the width of a fingernail. Samsung also notes that 24GB (6-layer) and 32GB (8-layer) LPDDR memory modules are coming in the future.
Analysis: A call for razor-thin laptops – or maybe something else entirely
So even thinner AI laptops – and indeed other notebooks besides the Copilot+ PCs – could be coming soon, as this LPDDR5X DRAM is now being mass produced. Though it will obviously be a while before it ships at scale, is built into laptops, and those devices hit store shelves.
Of course, it’s ultimately up to laptop makers what they do with the space-saving gift that the new memory modules provide. A notebook maker could use it to make any device thinner, as noted, though Samsung is choosing the angle to let the space help with airflow. As Samsung notes, improved airflow, which means better thermal performance, “is becoming increasingly critical, particularly for high-performance applications with advanced features such as on-device AI.”
It’s a valid argument, and another common tactic is to use the extra space saved for other components, the most obvious of which is the battery. A bigger battery lasts longer, and that’s also a good choice for a laptop.
There are, indeed, a lot of interrelated design factors that could come into play when weighed against each other, but nonetheless, this is a component innovation that has the potential to enable slimmer notebooks. And that could well mean slimmer Copilot+ PCs that will be well-served by a single 16GB module of Samsung’s new LPDDR5X memory.
In the battle for the best laptops, Windows 11 AI PCs may soon go up against even thinner MacBooks. Rumor has it that Apple is looking to trim down its MacBook Pro, as well as other devices, in its quest for the “thin possible,” which began earlier this year with the iPad Pro.
