Samsung has just announced that their GDDR6 memory has received the CES 2018 innovation award. The new memory design would be incorporated in GPUs that will be launching next year including NVIDIA's Volta based consumer cards.

Samsung GDDR6 Memory Honored With CES 2018 Innovation Award - Aiming For 16 Gbps Transfer Speeds

Samsung has officially stated that they will be producing the fastest and lowest-power DRAM for next generation products. They have currently listed a 16Gb GDDR6 DRAM in their portfolio but that can be expanded upon in the future when production hits full swing. With a transfer rate of 16Gbps, the DRAM will be able to pump out 64 GB/s bandwidth (per chip). The memory operates at just 1.35V.

Samsung 16Gb GDDR6 Memory –The fastest and lowest-power DRAM for next generation, graphics-intensive applications. It processes images and video at 16Gbps with 64GB/s data I/O bandwidth, which is equivalent to transferring approximately 12 full-HD DVDs (5GB equivalent) per second. The new DRAM can operate at 1.35 volts, offering further advantages over today’s graphics memory that uses 1.5V at only 8Gbps. via Samsung

Compared to current generation GDDR5 DRAM, we are looking at both, increased bandwidth and transfer speeds (8Gbps vs 16 Gbps) at lower power consumption (1.5V vs 1.35V). The specifications can easily be compared to current DRAM standards. We know that GDDR5 can reach up to 9 Gbps as NVIDIA launched their GTX 1060 in faster memory variants. That's the practical limit of where the memory architecture can go. Then we have GDDR5X, a refined implementation of GDDR5 that is better in every aspect.

The GDDR5X memory operates at much faster speeds and has practically hit 16 Gbps as confirmed by Micron themselves. While GDDR5X can hit same speeds as GDDR6, the latter comes with better optimizations and higher densities. We are looking at speeds of 12-14 Gbps becoming standard in the graphics industry while 16 Gbps will ship out in the high performance sector. There's also up to 32 Gb density support while GDDR5/X max out at 16 Gb.

How Will Next Generation GPUs With GDDR6 DRAM Look In Terms of Memory Specifications

So coming to the specifications, GDDR6 will come in 8Gb and 16Gb densities while the standard followed by JEDEC allows for up to 32Gb dies. The 8Gb DRAM dies will allow for up to 8 GB VRAM on a 256-bit wide card and 12 GB VRAM along a 384-bit wide card. The 16Gb dies will essentially double the VRAM since each chip will feature 2 GB VRAM. A 384-bit bus card could feature up to 24 GB while dies with 32Gb density will deliver 48 GB VRAM along the same interface.

Looking at the speeds, we are seeing an incredible jump from 12 Gbps (GDDR5X) to 16 Gbps (GDDR6).For comparison, a Volta GPU with a 256-bit wide memory interface using GDDR6 clocked at 16 Gbps transfer speed would result in 512 GB/s bandwidth. A 384-bit Volta chip with similar rated memory chips will feature 768 GB/s bandwidth.

Not only would the 256-bit solution be faster, cheaper and easier to produce than first generation HBM based solutions, but the 384-bit solution would be able to topple even HBM2 cards such as those based on the Pascal GP100 GPU that has 720 GB/s bandwidth and also the Radeon RX Vega 64 which packs HBM2 memory, delivering 483 GB/s bandwidth. For the folks wondering about efficiency, well the good thing about GDDR6 is that it brings a 10% power saving over current gen GDDR5 memory chips.

GPU Memory Technology Updates