Samsung Electronics has announced it’s the first in the industry to complete the development of a 12-nanometer class 24Gb (gigabit) GDDR7 DRAM. The new DRAM is capable of processing 60 full-length 30GB UHD movies in just one second.
Compared to its predecessor, the 16Gb GDDR7 DRAM, this product offers improved capacity, performance, and power efficiency. Samsung plans to begin testing with major GPU clients within the year and aims for commercialization by early next year.
The 12-nanometer manufacturing process allows for higher cell density within the same package size, resulting in 50% improved capacity over its predecessor. Utilizing the PAM3 signaling method, this DRAM achieves a top speed of 40Gbps, with the potential to reach up to 42.5Gbps depending on usage conditions. PAM3 transmits 1.5 bits of data per cycle by categorizing signal levels into -1, 0, and 1. When installed in a graphics card, it can process up to 1.8TB of data per second.
The product also incorporates technologies typically used in mobile devices to improve power efficiency by over 30%. These include ‘Clock Control’ technology, which operates circuits only when needed to reduce power consumption, as well as ‘Power Splitting Design’, which minimizes power usage through external voltage reduction or internal generation of lower voltages during low-speed operations. Moreover, the ‘Power Gating Design’ technique ensures operational stability by minimizing leakage current even at high speeds.
Market forecasts from Dataintelo predict that the global GDDR market will grow from approximately $5.8 billion in 2023 to about $12.6 billion by 2032, with a high annual growth rate of 9.1%. The growth is driven by advancements in gaming technology, AI, and the expansion of data centers.
Taiwanese market research firm TrendForce has also noted the gradual increase in GDDR7 production as new GPUs enter the verification stage. GDDR delivers fast speeds and high power efficiency at a relatively low cost, making it increasingly applicable in the AI era for data inference purposes.
Samsung aims to solidify its leading position in the graphics DRAM market by introducing high-capacity and high-performance products in line with the rapid growth of the AI market.