1 hr ago
China's CXMT Reaches Advanced Memory Production Despite Export Controls
China’s chipmaker CXMT says it is now mass-producing a new kind of memory chip.
The chips are used in devices such as smartphones.
China cannot buy some of the world’s most advanced chipmaking machines because of export controls.
CXMT says it reached the needed precision by using older machines several times in a process called quadruple patterning.
This method is slower and more complicated, but the company says it works.
CXMT also says its new process creates more usable chips from each wafer.
It claims to have more than 10% of the global DRAM market.
However, outside experts still need to check these claims, and CXMT may face higher costs than its leading competitors.
CXMT says its fifth-generation DRAM has entered mass production using older equipment.
The company used quadruple patterning instead of banned extreme ultraviolet lithography machines.
CXMT announced two 24-gigabit LPDDR5X products for mobile devices and flagship Chinese smartphones.
CXMT claims the new process produces at least 50% more usable chips per wafer.
The company says its global DRAM market share has exceeded 10%, though independent verification is pending.
- Who
- China’s largest memory-chip maker, CXMT, and established DRAM producers Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.
- What
- CXMT says its fifth-generation DRAM has entered mass production despite lacking access to advanced EUV lithography machines.
- Where
- China, with the products integrated into mainstream flagship Chinese smartphones.
- When
- The announcement was made this week at a domestic industry event; the articles do not give a specific date.
- Why
- CXMT used quadruple patterning with older permitted equipment to work around export controls restricting China’s access to EUV machines.
Milestone View
Caution View
Impact of export controls
Milestone View
CXMT’s reported mass production suggests export controls have been engineered around rather than fully stopping China’s memory-chip progress.
Caution View
The achievement does not show that China has eliminated the technology gap, because the process may be slower, more complex, and more expensive.
Market position
Milestone View
CXMT says its market share has crossed 10%, creating a fourth serious participant in a market long dominated by Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.
Caution View
The market-share figure is a company claim that requires independent verification, and cost or yield pressures could limit further growth.
Product competitiveness
Milestone View
The 24-gigabit LPDDR5X chips are reportedly already used in mainstream flagship Chinese smartphones, indicating commercial relevance.
Caution View
The products are competitive but are not described as matching the leading edge of what Samsung and SK Hynix can produce.
Key facts
- Company
- CXMT, described as China’s largest memory-chip maker
- Technology
- Fifth-generation DRAM with an 11.95-nanometre active-area dimension
- Products
- Two 24-gigabit LPDDR5X mobile-memory products
- Manufacturing method
- Quadruple patterning using older, permitted equipment
- Yield claim
- At least 50% more usable chips per silicon wafer than the previous generation
- Market-share claim
- More than 10% of the global DRAM market
- Verification status
- CXMT’s yield and market-share claims have not yet been independently verified
Sources
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