Samsung Next-Gen DRAM Yields to Reach 50–70%

On June 19, industry sources revealed that Samsung Electronics has made a significant leap in its DRAM manufacturing capabilities. Last month, the company achieved a 50–70% yield rate during performance testing of its 6th-generation 10nm-class DRAM wafers—an impressive improvement over the sub-30% yield recorded for the same product last year.

This advancement stems from Samsung's strategic decision to implement substantial structural innovations to enhance both chip performance and manufacturing efficiency. Despite originally planning to begin mass production by the end of last year, Samsung chose to delay rollout and redesign the chips—accepting the risks of a more than year-long postponement. In parallel, the company preemptively prepared production lines to enable immediate ramp-up after final testing.

Experts note that Samsung holds considerable tangible and intangible resources compared to competitors like SK Hynix and Micron Technology. Whether it can once again capitalize on economies of scale to boost cost efficiency and outpace rivals in volume remains to be seen.

The breakthrough is expected to greatly bolster Samsung's competitiveness in producing 6th-gen HBM (HBM4) memory within the year. DRAM chips from the Pyeongtaek Line 4, which are the focus of this development, will serve both mobile (LPDDR) and server applications. Meanwhile, production facilities for HBM4's 10nm-class DRAM are located at the Pyeongtaek Line 3.

Industry insiders emphasize that the core storage structures in mobile, server, and HBM DRAM are fundamentally similar—meaning the success of this yield milestone will have a direct and positive impact on the quality and efficiency of Samsung's HBM4 offerings. Based on this achievement, the company is now expected to scale up investment in HBM4 process technology at the Pyeongtaek Line 3 fab.