The DDR4 memory standard has yet to receive an official spec, but Micron has already begun development on its first DDR4 DRAM module in the hopes of getting ahead of the curve. The company announced its endeavor this week, adding that it's already shipped out samples to "key partners," and that it's aiming to begin volume production by Q4 of this year.

The company's 4Gb x8 component is based on its 30nm technology, and will be the first in a series of DDR4-based modules. Micron will also release x8, x16, and x32 parts, offering initial speeds of up to 2400 MT/s, before eventually ramping up to the industry standard 3200 MT/s.

Micron's announcement comes barely seven months after it teamed up with Samsung to form the Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC) Consortium — a group of companies devoted to creating a new HMC memory standard that offers a 15-fold increase in performance over current DDR3 standards, while taking up 90 percent less space, and using 70 percent less energy. The Consortium said this HMC standard would also offer more potential for advancement than either DDR3 or DDR4, though it's clear now that Micron hasn't abandoned its DDR4 ambitions altogether.

JEDEC, a standards-setting body for the solid state industry, has yet to issue an official DDR4 standard, but Brian Shirley, vice president for Micron’s DRAM Solutions Group, says the organization's definition is "very near finalization," and remains confident that Micron can quickly become fully compliant when the standard is published.