Key points
- Samsung confirms work on 4F² DRAM
- Why smaller memory cells matter
- How Samsung and SK Hynix traded
- No production date announced
Samsung Electronics (삼성전자, 005930) is developing 4F² DRAM, the smaller memory-cell design that Chinese rival CXMT plans to use in server memory by year-end, Song Jae-hyuk (송재혁), chief technology officer of its Device Solutions chip division, confirmed on October 14.
Song was speaking to reporters at SEDEX 2026, a semiconductor exhibition at COEX in Seoul, ZDNet Korea (지디넷코리아) reported. Asked how far Samsung’s work had progressed, he said only, “We’re working hard on it.”
He gave no technical details or production timetable.
Korean chip stocks fell after CXMT's announcement
CXMT said last weekend that it plans to launch DDR5 server memory modules using a 4F² design by the end of the year. CXMT is China's biggest memory chipmaker. Samsung and SK Hynix (SK하이닉스, 000660) both fell on October 12, the first trading day in Seoul after the news. They fell harder on October 13, when Samsung lost 7.39% and SK Hynix lost 10.09%, and the Kospi dropped 5.46%.
On October 14, Samsung closed unchanged at 232,000 won ($173), and SK Hynix fell another 1.66% to 1,419,000 won ($1,056), according to Korea Exchange data.
4F² makes each memory cell smaller
A DRAM chip stores data in tiny cells. Most DRAM made today uses a cell design called 6F². Using the same manufacturing feature size, a 4F² cell takes up about a third less space than a 6F² cell. That could let more cells fit in the same area of a chip.
The same report says Samsung has been researching 4F² for about five years and is developing it as vertical channel transistor, or VCT, DRAM, which sets the cell structure upright. The report also says Samsung plans to use 4F² in D0a, a next-generation process for 3D DRAM, under the internal project name D0a-V. Song didn't confirm those details.
Samsung hasn't announced when it would start making 4F² chips.
Dollar figures use 1,343.70 won per dollar, the Hana Bank rate on Naver Finance on October 14. Quotes are translated from Korean.
