An Era Ends: Samsung Closes Orders for Legacy Memory, Accelerating Industry Shift to Next-Generation DRAM

Samsung Electronics has officially ceased accepting new orders for LPDDR4 and LPDDR4X mobile DRAM, marking the end-of-life phase for these mainstream memory products that have been in mass production for over a decade. The relevant production lines are expected to begin conversion in the first quarter of next year, enabling Samsung to accelerate its migration toward higher-performance process nodes. It is reported that Samsung recently accepted the final batch of orders and will now only fulfill previously booked shipments, with LPDDR4 and LPDDR4X formally designated as End-of-Life (EOL) products. Given the timing of this final order batch, production of these two products is expected to continue through the end of this year, with line conversion work set to commence in the first quarter of next year. This decision to discontinue production will directly impact Samsung's own Mobile eXperience (MX) division and chip customers such as Qualcomm, both of which currently still utilize LPDDR4/4X in certain chips. Customers who have already stocked inventory will also need to revise their long-term procurement plans accordingly. Discontinuation Timeline Later Than Expected; Client Demand Extends Order Window LPDDR4 and LPDDR4X entered mass production approximately eight to ten years ago and have served as the mainstream memory solutions for consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The LPDDR series employs low-voltage design, offering superior power consumption performance compared to standard DRAM. The industry widely believes that the duration of this order window exceeded expectations, primarily due to sustained strong demand from clients. While this situation has helped clients secure sufficient memory supply, it has also correspondingly delayed the timeline for Samsung to initiate line conversion. Performance Gap Becomes Evident; Downstream Clients Accelerate Switch to LPDDR5 As LPDDR4X inventory gradually depletes, Samsung is expected to fully migrate to LPDDR5. There is a significant performance gap between the two generations: LPDDR5 supports a maximum data transfer rate of up to 6.4 Gbps, approximately 50% faster than the 4.3 Gbps ceiling of LPDDR4X. This transition will result in visible performance differentiation in certain products. Taking Samsung's Exynos 1330 application processor as an example, which supports both LPDDR4X and LPDDR5, different batches of Galaxy A17 models may exhibit variations in memory specifications depending on production timing. Some clients are already accelerating the development of next-generation chips to align with the depletion of LPDDR4/4X inventory. An industry insider stated, "We have secured sufficient LPDDR DRAM supplies for this year's needs, but next-generation chips will be designed around upgraded memory specifications." Automotive chip manufacturer Telechips also adjusted its chip design direction this year in response to client demands, shifting support specifications from LPDDR4/4X to LPDDR5/LPDDR5X. The company specializes in R&D of automotive semiconductors for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and IVI (In-Vehicle Infotainment) systems. Line Conversion Proceeds in Parallel; Hwaseong Factory Accelerates Focus on Advanced Process Nodes Samsung is currently advancing facility conversion work across multiple production lines following discontinuation, with Fab 12 at its Hwaseong campus serving as a key case study. The company plans to terminate 2D NAND flash production on this line and repurpose it into an "End Fab" facility dedicated to 1c DRAM—specifically handling metal interconnects within the front-end steps and subsequent finishing procedures. Currently, 1c DRAM represents the most significant bottleneck in Samsung's capacity. This EOL decision regarding LPDDR4/4X is part of Samsung's broader strategic initiative to systematically optimize its capacity structure and concentrate resources on advanced process nodes. For investors, the pace of line conversion and the progress of downstream client transitions will serve as critical indicators for assessing Samsung's mid-term competitiveness in the memory business.