NXP embraces DRAM-based SRAM replacement

Raaam Memory Technologies has signed NXP to license its area-saving drop-in SRAM replacement. This gain-cell random access memory (GCRAM) is a type of DRAM that roughly matches the speed of SRAM while taking up about half the area and using a factor of ten less power. “Fifty percent or more of system-on-chip die areas can consist of embedded SRAM. However, in advanced process nodes, SRAM scaling limitations can challenge power and performance. The potential benefits of Raaam’s technology for area reduction can help increase the density in future NXP memory solutions,” comments Victor Wang, vice president of front-end innovation at NXP.

Although more options have become available today, SRAM has traditionally been the go-to memory for embedded cache. Its six-transistor cells take up a lot of space, however, up to 75 percent in some cases. Israeli-Swiss Raaam developed a three-transistor DRAM variant with an extended refresh time that bit-for-bit takes up half the silicon estate, allowing more on-chip cache and therefore essentially enabling the extension of Moore’s Law, Raaam claims.