Samsung And Hynix Begin Sampling High-Speed GDDR7 Memory For Next-Gen Gaming GPUs
It still feels like we're getting our feet wet with the latest-generation graphics cards from AMD and NVIDIA, the former of which just expanded its lineup with the Radeon RX 7800 XT and Radeon RX 7700 XT at Gamescom. Be that as it may, work has already begun on next-gen GPU solutions. To that end, it's said that Samsung and SK hynix both have started sampling GDDR7 memory chips to the usual suspects.
The revelation comes on the heels of SK hynix announcing the development of HBM3e memory with a blistering-fast throughput of 1.15 terabytes (TB) per second. That kind of bandwidth is enough to process more than 230 Full HD 1080p movies (each one 5GB in size) in a single second. However, HBM solutions are typically reserved for the data center.
There have been exceptions, such as AMD's Radeon VII released in 2019. But AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA all employ GDDR6 and/or GDDR6X on modern graphics cards designed for gaming. Given the cost advantage and continued development of GDDR solutions, it's a safe assumption that next-gen GPUs like the GeForce RTX 50 series will latch onto GDDR7 chips.
It's important to note that there is no associated JEDEC standard published for GDDR7. That said, you can be certain that memory makers and key clients are in the loop. In addition to finalized specifications, it will be interesting to see which chip maker(s) win the day with supply orders for the next-gen crop of gaming GPUs.
Micron has traditionally led the way, but not exclusively. According to Business Korea, Samsung and SK hynix are "intensifying their efforts to penetrate" the GDDR market. Samsung specifically is reportedly sampling GDDR7 to NVIDIA, and given that SK hynix plans to compete in the same realm, it's likely sampling its own GDDR7 chips as well.
One interesting tidbit from the report is that since Micron will wait until the first half of next year to unveil its GDDR7 solution, NVIDIA may tap Samsung to fill the bulk of its orders. That might be a bold assumption, however, given that there is still plenty of time to test and validate GDDR7 chips for the GeForce RTX 50 series.
As things stand, Samsung's GDDR7 offers a 1.4X uplift in speed over GDDR6, with throughput of 1.5TB/s and transfer rates boosted to 32 gigabits (Gb) per second. As a point of reference, the fastest GDDR6 in use today is found on the GeForce RTX 4080, which employs 22.5Gbps memory chips.
