Samsung Electronics has announced that it completed development of the industry's first DDR4 DRAM module last month, using 30nm class process technology, and provided 1.2V 2GB DDR4 unbuffered dual in-line memory modules (UDIMM) to a controller maker for testing. The new DDR4 DRAM module can achieve data transfer rates of 2.133Gbps at 1.2V, compared to 1.35V and 1.5V DDR3 DRAM at an equivalent 30nm-class process technology, with speeds of up to 1.6Gbps. In a notebook, the DDR4 module reduces power consumption by 40 percent compared to a 1.5V DDR3 module.

The module makes use of Pseudo Open Drain (POD) technology, which allows DDR4 DRAM to consume just half the electric current of DDR3 when reading and writing data. By employing new circuit architecture, Samsung's DDR4 will be able to run at up to 3.2Gbps, compared to today's typical speeds of 1.6Gbps for DDR3 and 800Mbps for DDR2.

Samsung now plans to work closely with a number of server makers to help insure completion of JEDEC standardization of DDR4 technologies in the second half of this year. Samsung developed the industry's first DDR DRAM in 1997, the first DDR2 DRAM in 2001, and the first DDR3 DRAM using 80nm-class technology in 2005.

"Samsung has been actively supporting the IT industry with our green memory initiative by coming up with eco-friendly, innovative memory products providing higher performance and power efficiency every year," Dong Soo Jun, Samsung's president of the memory division, said in a statement. "The new DDR4 DRAM will build even greater confidence in our cutting-edge green memory, particularly when we introduce four-gigabit DDR4-based products using next generation process technology for mainstream application."