Intel's Lunar Lake chips could use Samsung DRAM inside

Intel's Lunar Lake processors could have Samsung's onboard LPDDR5X DRAM

A new report from DigiTimes claims that LPDDR5X DRAM chips will be integrated into Intel's upcoming Lunar Lake MX processors. This means that upcoming laptop processors from Intel will feature on-package memory, similar to Apple's M series processors that feature onboard memory. It is possible that Samsung's 16GB or 32GB LPDDR5X 8533MHz memory will be used in Lunar Lake chips. This DRAM was first launched in the second half of 2022 and has already been certified to be used with Qualcomm's Snapdragon Mobile platforms.

Using onboard memory increases the performance, reduces the space needed by chips inside a laptop, and improves battery life. However, it also means that memory can't be upgraded later, similar to what is seen on Apple's MacBook and Mac lineups. Given that Intel will likely ship tens of millions of Lunar Lake processors over the next few years, Samsung will greatly benefit from this reported deal. However, it is still unclear if Samsung will be the sole supplier of LPDDR5X DRAM chips to Intel.

Intel has finally launched laptop processors that can be in the same league as Apple in terms of performance. The efficiency of its chips has also improved due to a chiplet architecture. However, Intel needs to improve the efficiency of its chips even more to be in the same league as Apple or Qualcomm's recently announced Snapdragon X Elite processors. Samsung's Meteor Lake processors are used in the Galaxy Book 4 series, and it is possible that the Galaxy Book 5 will use Intel's Lunar Lake chips with even better battery life.

Author's Note: Intel is coming back to form, starting with its 7nm Meteor Lake processors. The integrated GPU is finally on par with AMD's integrated Radeon GPUs. While there aren't any noticeable CPU performance gains, Intel has greatly improved the power efficiency with Meteor Lake chips, offering much longer battery life for laptops.

The company's Lunar Lake processors, which are expected to be launched by the end of 2024, are expected to have even higher power efficiency gains. As per reports, Lunar Lake chips will be made using Intel's own 2nm process and feature onboard DRAM, and that combination could offer space and efficiency improvements, resulting in thinner and lighter laptops with longer battery life.