New 24Gbps GDDR6 DRAM chips can transfer up to 1.1TB of data per second.
Samsung announced last week that it has begun sampling 16-gigabit GDDR6 DRAM with transfer speeds of 24Gbps, calling the new memory the first of its kind for the industry. The 24Gbps memory chips are based on Samsung’s third-generation 10nm process.
Thirty percent faster than Samsung’s previous memory offering, the new chips are designed for graphics cards, laptops, game consoles, and AI and HPC systems. In a premium graphics card, Samsung says the 24Gbps memory chips can transfer up to 1.1TB of data—equivalent to about 275 full HD movies—in one second.
Samsung says it engineered the memory for broad market adoption by industries with an escalating need for high data transfer speeds, such as in cloud computing or machine learning. The JEDEC-compliant chips are compatible across all GPU designs, according to Samsung.
“The explosion of data now being driven by AI and the metaverse is pushing the need for greater graphics capabilities that can process massive data sets simultaneously, at extremely high speeds,” said Daniel Lee, executive vice president of the Memory Product Planning Team at Samsung Electronics, in a company press release. “With our industry-first 24Gbps GDDR6 now sampling, we look forward to validating the graphics DRAM on next-generation GPU platforms to bring it to market in time to meet an onslaught of new demand.”
There are other essential performance metrics beyond speed. Energy efficiency is increasingly important for extending the battery life of portable devices like wearables and laptops, and to ease the demands of energy-intensive and data-hungry applications. Samsung says its new GDDR6 lineup will include low-power options that dynamically adjust their operating voltage depending on performance requirements. Samsung will also provide 20Gbps and 16Gbps chips that the company says will be 20 percent more power efficient at 1.1V compared to the 1.35V GDDR6 industry standard.
Samsung is positioning its new chip line to capture a broad swath of the GPU market, which, according to a 2020 Allied Market Research report, is expected to reach $200.85 billion by 2027. Samsung expects the new line of memory chips to be promising for use not just in PCs, laptops and gaming consoles, but for professional uses like high performance computing, autonomous vehicles, electric cars and demanding AI accelerator workloads. Customer verification for the memory chip line starts this month with commercialization timed for various GPU platform launches.
