Skip to main content

DDR6 is already in the works, and it’s four times as fast as DDR4

DDR5 has barely hit the shelves, but Samsung has confirmed it’s already working on the next generation of RAM.

According to ComputerBase, the South Korean technology giant delivered insight into several next-gen memory standards including DDR6, GDDR6+, GDDR7, and HBM3 at its 2021 tech day event.

A pile of RAM sticks.

Samsung said its development of the DDR6 standard has commenced and will be assisted by JEDEC, a semiconductor engineering organization comprised of over 300 members, including some of the world’s largest computer firms.

The report mentions that the completion of the standard could materialize in 2024, but it’s more likely that 6th-gen DDR memory arrives in either 2025 or 2026 considering that DDR5 has only just launched recently (and is already affected by supply issues).

In regard to the technical specifications of DDR6 memory, data transfer rates will be doubled compared to its predecessor. It’ll thus be able to perform with speeds of around 12,800Mbps on JEDEC modules — that’s four times as much as DDR4 — in addition to achieving 17,000 Mbps on overclocked modules.

As for the amount of memory channels per module, that will also be doubled for DDR6, with four 16-bit channels joined by 64 memory banks.

GDDR (graphics double data rate) is specifically compatible with graphics cards and is an integral part of GPUs. It’s not to be confused with DDR RAM, which covers system memory.

Elsewhere, Samsung plans to make the GDDR6+ standard available before the inevitable launch of GDDR7. It’ll reportedly hit speeds of up to 24Gbps, consequently allowing future 256-bit GPUs to feature up to 768GB/s bandwidth. Furthermore, GPUs with bit bus layouts of 320/352/384 are said to achieve over 1TB/s bandwidth.

Looking beyond the refinement of GDDR6, GDDR7 is expected to reach transfer speeds up to 32Gbps. Samsung is also said to be incorporating real-time error protection feature into the standard. As Wccftech notes, GDDR7 memory will be able to provide speeds of 1.5TB/s through a 384-bit bus interface and up to 2TB/s via a 512-bit system.

There’s currently no timeline for when the GDDR7 standard will be finalized, so consumers will have to settle with GDDR6+ in the meanwhile.

Another next-gen memory standard Samsung touched on was HBM3. The third generation of high-bandwidth memory will enter the mass production stage during the second quarter of 2022. The company mentioned speeds of 800Gbps for HBM3, which should power future CPUs and GPUs that will require such high memory performance levels. Samsung also stressed the tech’s suitability for artificial intelligence applications.

Editors' Recommendations

Zak Islam
Computing Writer
Zak Islam was a freelance writer at Digital Trends covering the latest news in the technology world, particularly the…
PCI Express 6.0 claimed to be four times faster than the current version
Mac Pro PCIe components.

New PCIe 6.0 technology is in the works, and according to nonprofit electronics industry consortium PCI-SIG, it's in the final draft stages. While it's still early days, new information suggests that PCIe 6.0 will offer speeds as high as 128GB/s, beating the previous gen by a mile. The current standard is still PCIe 4.0, with the 5th generation of the technology yet to be released. Comparing PCIe 6.0 to the PCIe 4.0 standard produces even better results -- PCIe 6.0 will be up to four times faster than the technology we are using now.

PCI Express has to go through five stages before being approved: The concept stage, first draft, compete draft, final draft, and release stage. The Complete Draft stage was reached a little less than a year ago with version 0.7 of PCIe 6.0.

Read more
Samsung’s massive DDR5 512GB RAM modules are almost twice as powerful as DDR4
A black box with "Samsung DDR5" written inside, accompanied by two RAM modules, over an image of Earth.

Samsung is among the brands that will release DDR5 RAM this year -- and it seems the manufacturer has an industry- first in the works. During Hot Chips 33, an annual semiconductor disclosure event, Samsung revealed the development of its first DDR5 512GB RAM module. This new memory module is said to offer an up to 40% increase in performance over DDR4, combined with double the capacity and a lower voltage.

The announcement of the new massive memory stick was accompanied by more in-depth information about its architecture. DDR5-7200 is going to be a 512GB module made out of eight-stacked DDR5 dies. The dies are said to be connected with the use of through-silicon via (TSV) technology. The upgrade to eight dies is significant. It shows a marked improvement over DDR4 memory, which was always limited to four dies even in the best RAM available.

Read more
DDR5 RAM will be much faster than DDR4, but it comes with one major compromise
A corsair cooler with DDR5 RAM around it.

DDR5 memory is on the horizon, and leading manufacturers are gearing up for its release. Corsair is one of the brands that is preparing to release DDR5 RAM soon. The company revealed more about the possibilities of DDR5 RAM, as well as some of the difficulties, including the fact that it will run much hotter than DDR4.

The warm-up is not a surprise. The best RAM in the DDR5 lineup is going to be up to 4 times more powerful than its predecessor, thus generating more heat. However, according to George Makris, Corsair's DIY Marketing Director, the reason also lies in the design of the memory module itself.

Read more