Smartphones are now running workloads that once belonged in the cloud. On-device AI, high-end gaming, and constant data transfer all put pressure on mobile memory, and one of the first issues to appear is heat. The faster DRAM moves data, the more thermal energy builds up in the package, and in compact phones that heat has nowhere to go. Performance throttling and shorter lifespans are the result.
SK hynix has introduced a new approach. The company has started supplying mobile DRAM that uses a High-K Epoxy Molding Compound (EMC), a packaging material designed to move heat out of the chip more efficiently. It is the first time such a material has been applied in this way. According to SK hynix, thermal conductivity is more than tripled compared to existing EMC, while vertical thermal resistance is cut by almost half.
Why Packaging Matters
Most flagship smartphones rely on package-on-package (PoP) construction, where the DRAM is stacked directly on top of the application processor. It is an elegant way to save space and boost data transfer speed, but it also concentrates two of the hottest components in a single block. When the processor is stressed, the DRAM above it is exposed to the same thermal load, and efficiency suffers.
The new EMC addresses this problem at the material level. By replacing some of the silica traditionally used in EMC with alumina, SK hynix created a compound with a far higher heat-transfer coefficient. Heat can move more quickly out of the memory package, keeping performance stable for longer periods and easing the overall thermal burden inside a smartphone.
What It Means for Engineers
For system designers, the change could make it easier to balance the competing demands of speed, battery life, and reliability in AI-enabled phones. Better heat dissipation at the DRAM package means less need to throttle during heavy workloads and potentially lower power consumption across the device. Over time, that translates into smoother user experiences and longer product lifetimes.
Looking Ahead
SK hynix describes this as more than a marginal gain. By targeting the thermal problem directly in the packaging material, the company is signalling a broader push to lead the next generation of mobile DRAM. With shipments already underway to major smartphone makers, High-K EMC packaging is likely to become a reference point for how memory vendors tackle the heat challenge of on-device AI.
Learn more here.
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