CXMT File photo: VCG

Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT has completed engineering sample validation for its sixth-generation process technology platform, built upon a key breakthrough in the 4F² vertical-channel dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) architecture, according to a statement the company sent to the Global Times on Saturday.

The company said the successful validation means the platform’s core performance targets have been achieved on real wafers, and that it can move toward mass production after customer-side qualification.

According to industry practice, completion of engineering sample validation is a key step in the commercialization process, indicating that the chip platform is technically ready for further product qualification and potential scale-up.

CXMT had previously introduced progress on its 4F² architecture at academic forums, but this is the first time the company has publicly confirmed that its sixth-generation process platform is based on the design, the company said in the note.

Earlier, CXMT said it plans to launch new-generation DDR5 RDIMM products that leverages the 4F² architecture by the end of 2026, targeting the server market — one of the most demanding application segments in the memory industry.

The 4F² cell architecture is widely regarded as a crucial route to overcoming the scaling limits of conventional DRAM and advancing toward 3D DRAM. At the center of the development is the “4F²” design, in which each memory cell occupies an area of 4F², with F representing the minimum line width of a semiconductor.

For now, mainstream commercial DRAM uses a 6F² cell structure.

Internationally, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been pursuing the 4F² technology.

SK hynix unveiled its 4F² road map in 2025, while Samsung planned to mass-produce sub-10-nanometre DRAM based on the new design by 2028, according to a report published by Seoul Economic Daily on October 13.

CXMT said it was the first company to complete engineering sample validation of the architecture, and if development continues smoothly, it could become the first company globally to bring 4F²-based products to market.

CXMT's technology iteration has accelerated in recent months. The company's LPDDR6 products and fifth-generation DRAM platform, G5, are both in mass production, suggesting a faster commercialization cycle, according to the statement.

CXMT's research spending provides one indication of its efforts to build longer-term capabilities. The company said it had been researching 4F² architecture since its inception and had published more than 300 related patent families. Its R&D expenditure reached 11.07 billion yuan ($1.66 billion) in the first nine months of 2026, up 73.03 percent year-on-year.

According to its financial report released on Friday, CXMT reported revenue of 269.02 billion yuan in the first nine months of 2026, up 738.51 percent year-on-year, and net profit attributable to shareholders of 132.04 billion yuan, reversing a loss recorded in the same period last year.

Global Times