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DDR5 RAM Module
SK Hynix, a South Korean semiconductor manufacturer has launched the world’s first 64GB DDR5 RAM modules. There by giving room for desktops, laptops and data centers to start moving away from DDR4 and embracing the new and improved DDR5.
JEDEC Solid State Technology Association published the official DDR5 memory specification back in july. However, SK Hynix has been working on a DDR5 memory since 2018 when it came up with the first 16GB DDR5 DRAM in the world. Seeing that them announce the world’s first DDR5 DRAM chip with a 64GB memory module doesn’t come as a surprise. I believe if anyone would have come up with such a tech, it will be them.
DDR5 transfer speed
When it comes to performance, this chip takes the lead, both in terms of speed and capacity. SK Hynix says its DDR5-4800 chips are 1.8x faster than DDR4 and supports transfer speeds of between 4,800-5,600Mbps. They also said the DDR5 requires 20% less power. Using the company’s through-silicon-via (TSV) technology, it’s also claimed we could see 256GB memory modules appear.
As Anandtech explains, the big changes DDR5 brings includes switching from a single 64-bit data channel to two 32-bit channels. Also, voltage regulation is moving from the motherboard to the memory module. Combined, it allows for more control over data rate improvements and speed of modules by the individual vendors, paving the way for some very fast “above specification” modules in future.
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With the DDR5 standard published and the memory chips available, you’d think the chip was about to flood the market, but we’ve got a bit of a wait yet. SK Hynix is targeting the data center first, where the higher capacity and lower power draw will be especially useful. The company cites market intelligence provider Omdia when it claims DDR5 demand will see it take a 10 percent share of the market by 2022, but that will reach 43 percent by 2024. So we shouldn’t expect this RAM to have replaced DDR4 RAM before 2025. By then, who knows how fast vendors will have got these modules running. Sk Hynix is already testing at 6,400Mbps with its partners, and 8,400Mbps is on the roadmap.
Source: PCMag.com