CXMT 17nm DDR5 yield rate has reached 80%

[Fred Chen]

China Changxin Storage's DDR5 yield rate has reached 80%, and it is also striving to produce HBM2 in small quantities by 2025 (Auto-translation)

Written by Atkinson | Release date: 2025-01-03 9:30 |

Foreign media reported that China's third-party memory module manufacturers began to sell DDR5 DRAM memory modules with DDR5 chips produced by China's Changxin Storage (CXMT). Changxin Storage is the largest and only DDR4 / LPDDR4 manufacturer in China, and now it has finally entered the production of DDR5 / LPDDR5.

Foreign media Techpowerup reported that Citigroup analyzed that Changxin Storage's DDR5 yield rate has made significant progress, reaching about 80%, which is a significant increase compared with the initial mass production of 50%, mainly based on Changxin Storage's DDR4 experience, and the DDR4 chip yield rate is about 90%.

Changxin Storage operates two wafer factories in Hefei, Fab 1 specializes in the production of DDR4 chips, 19nm, with a monthly production capacity of 100,000 wafers. Fab 2 uses a 17nm process to produce DDR5 chips, with a monthly production capacity of 50,000 wafers, and the yield rate will increase to 90% by the end of this year.

Although Changxin's storage technology and yield have improved a lot, there is still a gap compared with the leaders. Samsung and SK hynix have introduced 12nm to produce DDR5 chips, and the technology gap has led to higher power consumption and less compact size of Changxin storage products. Changxin storage customers are mainly domestic, and they are equipped with PCs and smartphones.

Changxin Storage will continue to expand DDR5 performance and production capacity, while continuing to promote HBM development. Changxin Storage has made progress in HBM2 and is in the customer sample delivery stage, and will start a small number of HBM2 chips in mid-2025.

中國長鑫存儲 DDR5 良率達 80%，還力拚 2025 年少量生產 HBM2 | TechNews 科技新報

 

[Fred Chen]

This indicates significant progress in multipatterning yield.

 

[Maximus]

I recall that the US banned China from developing advanced DRAM at the 18nm node or beyond. However, it appears that this restriction on DRAM has not been as effective as it has been for logic manufacturing. Therefore, is the EUV ban the only effective measure to restrict China's semiconductor manufacturing?

 

[Fred Chen]

I recall that the US banned China from developing advanced DRAM at the 18nm node or beyond. However, it appears that this restriction on DRAM has not been as effective as it has been for logic manufacturing. Therefore, is the EUV ban the only effective measure to restrict China's semiconductor manufacturing?

"The US has been trying to restrict China from developing high-end chip production capabilities, while seeking to avoid disrupting its production of commodity chips."

US Exempted China DRAM Controls 'Pressure From Japan'

US exempted Chinese DRAM memory chip manufacturers from latest round of export controls under pressure from Japan, report says

www.silicon.co.uk

Reportedly, CXMT was recently excluded from the controls recently, largely in concession to Japan (likely suppliers). At this point, it looks comfortable with minimum pitches in the range of N5 M2P. Domestic EUV is still far away. Likely they'll still rush ahead of it.

 

[Paul2]

"The US has been trying to restrict China from developing high-end chip production capabilities, while seeking to avoid disrupting its production of commodity chips."

US Exempted China DRAM Controls 'Pressure From Japan'

US exempted Chinese DRAM memory chip manufacturers from latest round of export controls under pressure from Japan, report says

www.silicon.co.uk

Reportedly, CXMT was recently excluded from the controls recently, largely in concession to Japan (likely suppliers). At this point, it looks comfortable with minimum pitches in the range of N5 M2P. Domestic EUV is still far away. Likely they'll still rush ahead of it.

It looks even more hilarious in light of Beijing regularly frustrating TE's business in the mainland to pressure Tokyo. So, US intentionally compromised its China sanctions because of Tokyo Electron's lobbying, while Tokyo Electron itself was facing a ban in China.

Taiwan too has a weird stratum of Russian sympathisers from old KMT, but most sanction busting for China/Russia/NK is done by people who don't really care about a half century old politics. The high-tech industry doing it is largely very "green" (DPP bloc, pro-formal-independence). There is a recent scandal where a big green campaign donor was found to be knowingly selling sanctioned goods to Russia, but then it came out that he was protected by blue politicians with influence on supreme prosecutor office. Police, military, law enforcement, judges in Taiwan are very blue, heavily KMT leaning.

https://www.facebook.com/BaldTeo/posts/3393519810784571

Foreign policy really has very little to with domestic policy, which determines who gets political power to bust sanctions, either by using legal lobbying, or less legal ways. This way, there can be a Japanese company using it campaign donations to make Tokyo pressure an ally to let it sell to mainland China, at the same time when Japanese government is giving Beijing a beating in Washington.