China's CXMT on the 29th used Weibo to formalize mass production of the next-generation low-power DRAM "LPDDR6," calling it the "world's first commercialization," but critics say the claim lacks credibility when checking product specifications and plans. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have already finished developing the same product and are prepared for mass production in the second half of this year, drawing criticism that CXMT's "first" claim runs counter to industry common sense.
LPDDR6 is the next-generation standard for low-power DRAM used in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and it is drawing attention as AI features are being fully adopted in smartphones, requiring both faster speeds and lower power consumption.
◇ Why the announced specs and actual performance differ
CXMT said on its official Weibo account that LPDDR6 has entered full mass production and will be installed first in the Xiaomi foldable phone "18 Fold," scheduled for release in September. It disclosed support for a maximum data transfer rate of 12,800 megabits per second (12800Mbps) and a maximum capacity of 16 gigabytes, and Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun also posted a congratulatory message on Weibo.
The problem is that the numbers CXMT touts differ from those in the actual product. The operating speed in the Xiaomi 18 Fold is 10667Mbps, which falls short of the LPDDR6 standard ceiling of 14400Mbps set by the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) in July last year. JEDEC is an international organization in which semiconductor companies worldwide jointly set memory standards, and the LPDDR6 standard allows a speed range from 10667Mbps to 14400Mbps. In other words, the CXMT product runs at the lowest speed within this range.
Analysts also say CXMT's announcement method included exaggeration. It highlighted the top spec (12800Mbps), not the speed installed in the Xiaomi 18 Fold (10667Mbps), to stress "the world's first commercialization," and the roughly 17% gap between the two figures was not mentioned anywhere in the announcement. It will be hard to avoid criticism that the numbers in the press release differ from the performance of the product consumers actually get.
◇ Is there enough basis for the "start of mass production" declaration
The weight of the word "mass production" also deserves another look. In a semiannual report disclosed on the 28th of last month, a day before the Weibo announcement, CXMT still described LPDDR6 as being in the sample validation stage with key customers. Sample validation is the phase in which customers test performance and stability before putting the product into actual devices; only after passing this process can production move to volume. This stage appears to have flipped to mass production in just one day, and industry watchers say such a transition is not reasonable.
No figures were disclosed this time either that would gauge the substance of mass production, such as production yield (the proportion of finished products) or initial shipments. According to The Beijing News and other local media and Reuters on the 26th, the target shipment is 200,000 to 300,000 units, only initial volumes compared with the previous-generation product (LPDDR5X), which CXMT began mass-producing in May last year. The scale does not even reach one major smartphone maker's monthly shipments.
Contrasted with competitor moves, the phrase "world's first" is also far from reality. Samsung Electronics announced its own LPDDR6 based on an ultra-fine process in January, and SK hynix in March completed, for the first time in the world, development certification of LPDDR6 using the latest 10-nanometer-class process, unveiling plans for mass production and supply in the second half. Last month, SK hynix was also reported to have secured Xiaomi as the first LPDDR6 customer, putting CXMT and SK hynix in direct competition within Xiaomi's supply chain.
A semiconductor industry source said, "The speed at which CXMT put a next-generation product into actual finished goods about a year after starting mass production of the previous generation cannot be ignored," but added, "Given that the production yield and mass supply capability are unproven, that the target shipment is only 200,000 to 300,000 units, and that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are entering mass production around the same time, this announcement reads as 'image-making' aimed at positioning itself on the same level as its Korean rivals."