Samsung introduced GDDR7 memory in 3GB modules - one and a half times bigger and twice as fast

Samsung has announced the development of the "first in the industry" 24-gigabit (3 gigabytes) GDDR7 memory for graphics cards, which supports speeds exceeding 40 Gbps.

The new memory is faster and, crucially, offers a larger capacity in a single module compared to GDDR6. Instead of having 1 GB or 2 GB, it provides a capacity of 3 GB. This means that graphics cards, which currently have 4 memory modules and a total capacity of 8 GB, could potentially have 12 GB with the same number of chips, assuming the manufacturer opts for that. Samsung's GDDR7 memory utilizes 10 nm DRAM technology and offers a 50% increase in density compared to its predecessor, while the physical size of the modules remains unchanged.

Initial developments are focused on achieving speeds of 40 Gbps, with potential improvements up to 42.5 Gbps. The fastest memory in NVIDIA's RTX 40xx series supports "only" 22.4 Gbps, while the RTX 50xx series is rumored to potentially utilize up to 32 Gbps. Therefore, the speeds mentioned by Samsung may not directly apply to the RTX 5090 but could be available in the next generations of graphics cards.

Theoretically, a graphics card with 8 Samsung GDDR7 3 GB modules running at 40 Gbps with a 256-bit memory interface could have a total capacity of 24 GB and a maximum bandwidth of 1280 GB/s. A card with 12 modules and a 384-bit memory interface would feature 36 GB and bandwidth of up to 1920 GB/s. Finally, a card with 16 modules and a 512-bit bus could achieve 48 GB and 2560 GB/s.

Samsung has reported that the new GDDR7 is being tested by major clients this year, with production planned to start next year. However, the company has not disclosed who the customers are or when official production will begin.

Sources: Samsung, VideoCardz