Samsung Electronics 24Gbps GDDR6 DRAM Powers Next-Gen Graphics Cards

July 18, 2022

Samsung Electronics has begun sampling the industry’s first 16-gigabit (Gb) Graphics Double Data Rate 6 (GDDR6) DRAM featuring 24-gigabit-per-second (Gbps) processing speeds. Built on Samsung’s third-generation 10-nanometer-class (1z)1 process using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology, the new memory is designed to significantly advance the graphics performance for next-generation graphics cards (Video Graphics Arrays), laptops and game consoles, as well as artificial intelligence-based applications and high-performance computing (HPC) systems.

“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. “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.”

Engineered with an innovative circuit design and a highly advanced insulating material (High-K Metal Gate; HKMG) that minimizes current leakage, Samsung’s 24Gbps GDDR6 will deliver 30% faster speeds compared to the previous 18Gbps product. When integrated into a premium graphics card, the GDDR6 DRAM can transfer up to 1.1-terabytes (TB) of data, or about 275 Full HD movies, in just one second.

Designed to be fully compliant with JEDEC specifications, Samsung’s GDDR6 DRAM will be compatible across all GPU designs, facilitating broad market adoption in a wide array of graphics solutions.

Samsung’s new GDDR6 lineup will also feature low-power options that help extend the battery life of laptops. Utilizing dynamic voltage switching (DVS) technology which adjusts the operating voltage depending on performance requirements, Samsung will provide 20Gbps and 16Gbps versions with approximately 20% higher power efficiency at 1.1V, compared to the 1.35V GDDR6 industry standard.

Graphics DRAM is increasingly being sought for use beyond PCs, laptops and game consoles, extending into other graphics-intensive applications like HPC, autonomous driving and electric cars. Addressing these emerging markets, Samsung’s GDDR6 will enable seamless 4K and 8K video playback, while supporting demanding AI accelerator workloads.

Samsung continues to lead the graphics DRAM market globally and forecasts that the high-performance graphics portion will see double-digit growth annually in the coming years.

With customer verifications starting this month, Samsung plans to commercialize its 24Gbps GDDR6 DRAM in line with GPU platform launches, therein accelerating graphics innovation throughout the high-speed computing market.