Micron ships first samples of hybrid memory cube

The US-based memory specialist expects future generations of HMC to migrate to consumer applications within three to five years. HMC uses advanced through-silicon vias (TSVs) - vertical conduits that electrically connect a stack of individual chips - to combine high performance logic with state of the art dram. Micron's HMC features a 2GB memory cube that comprises a stack of four 4Gb dram die. The solution is said to provide 160GB/s of memory bandwidth while using up to 70% less energy per bit than existing technologies. "System designers are looking for new memory system designs to support increased demand for bandwidth, density, and power efficiency," said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron's dram solutions group. "HMC represents the new standard in memory performance; it's the breakthrough our customers have been waiting for." Looking ahead, Micron expects 4GB samples to be available in early 2014, with volume production of both the 2 and 4GB devices beginning later in 2014.