Chinese memory-chip maker CXMT has started mass production of its fifth-generation DRAM technology platform, cutting the distance between key elements of the chip's data-storage area to 11.95 nanometers — roughly 12 billionths of a meter. The company says the move strengthens its ability to compete with Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology in the global memory market.

CXMT announced the platform at the 2026 World Manufacturing Convention in Hefei, where the company is headquartered. Its shares began trading on Shanghai's STAR Market this year.

The new platform targets more powerful chips at lower production cost and reduced power consumption, giving electronics manufacturers an additional memory source for smartphones and other devices.

"Our manufacturing capabilities now match the level of the most advanced process technologies currently being mass-produced in the industry," said Luo Xiaodong, CXMT vice president and head of its marketing center.

What does the tighter geometry change?

Denser placement of memory cells allows CXMT to fit more memory onto a single chip and produce more individual chips from each wafer. To reach the 11.95 nm pitch, engineers used a "triple patterning" method, repeating certain manufacturing steps to create finer circuits.

The approach is notable because it achieves advanced density without the most cutting-edge lithography tools — equipment that has become harder for Chinese chipmakers to obtain since the United States introduced export restrictions in 2022 covering advanced chipmaking equipment and software.

Per-wafer output gains are substantial:

• At least 50% more dies per silicon wafer compared with the fourth-generation platform.
• The figure is calculated for an 8-gigabit chip, before defective units are discarded during final testing.

Which products ship first?

Alongside the platform, CXMT introduced two 24-gigabit LPDDR5X products. LPDDR5X is a low-power DRAM variant used primarily in smartphones and portable electronics. Both chips are already in mass production.

Each of the new products stores 50% more data than CXMT's previous comparable solutions. The company offers them in two package formats designed for different smartphone and portable-device configurations.

How was the platform developed?

CXMT developed the technology using computer simulations and through cooperation with Chinese chip-equipment manufacturers on critical manufacturing steps — a domestic-supply approach that mirrors Beijing's broader push to reduce dependence on foreign semiconductor technology.

What does this mean for the memory market?

For DRAM buyers, the immediate effect is an additional qualified supplier of low-power mobile memory in a market long dominated by three players. For competitors, CXMT's claim of parity with the most advanced mass-produced process technologies signals that the gap between Chinese and established memory makers is narrowing at the process level, not only on pricing.

Bringing the fifth-generation platform into volume production could expand China's domestic DRAM manufacturing base and strengthen CXMT's standing among global memory suppliers. The two 24-gigabit LPDDR5X chips in production now represent the first concrete output of that capability.