SK hynix develops 6th-gen 10nm-class DDR5 with the world's first 16Gb DRAM modules — chipmaker claims electric savings of up to 30% for data centers

SK hynix sign outside its South Korea headquarters.

10nm technology might be an outdated process node for CPUs, but for DRAM, it is still the bleeding edge. SK hynix has announced the development of the world’s first “sixth-generation” 10nm-class DDR5 DRAM. Mass production is reported to be completed within this year, while formal supply will begin next year.

SK Hynix’s 6th-gen DDR5 DRAM, dubbed its “1c process,” is an evolution over its 1b process node, built on 10nm lithography. 1c is SK Hynix’s first 16Gb DRAM module, reportedly 11% faster than its previous-generation counterpart and 9% more energy efficient. Thanks to the power efficiency of its 6th Gen 1c process, SK hynix believes data centers’ electricity bills can be reduced by up to 30%.