© GOOGLE, SAMSUNG, MICROSOFT
SAMSUNG ANNOUNCED GDDR7 last summer, but now it has revealed more. The spec item that stands out is, rather obviously, peak transfer speeds of 37 Gb/s. More realistic throughput for commercial applications is likely to be in the region of 32 Gb/s. Micron also has GDDR7 brewing, and it’s claiming a 36 Gb/s target speed. SK Hynix, likewise, has chips nearing release, this time topping out at 35.4 Gb/s. For context, GDDR6 has been in mass production since 2018, the best versions of which can reach 24 Gb/s. All three manufacturers are likely to be cranking out GDDR7 chips in volume some time in the second half on this year, just in time for a new generation of GPUs. Nvidia usually uses Micron memory, while AMD uses Samsung or SK Hynix. But who will be first to launch a next-gen GPU with GDDR7? The race is on. Outside and very long odds bet in Intel, anyone?
–CL