RAM News - Page 1

G.SKILL is set to make another big splash in extreme overclocking at Computex 2024. Its booth will host the 10th Annual OC World Record Stage 2024, where high-end Intel motherboards from ASRock, ASUS, GIGABYTE, and MSI will be paired with G.SKILL DDR5 memory and plenty of liquid nitrogen (LN2).

The world's top overclockers will do their thing in front of a live audience (we'll be there!), attempting to achieve as many overclocking records as possible. G.SKILL has released the 10th Annual OC World Record Stage 2024 schedule (see it above), which kicks off on June 4 and runs through to June 7.

Each motherboard maker and a group of overclockers will be given their day in the sun (or is that LN2 fog), with OC legends like HiCookie and Splave set to appear. The 8th Annual OC World Cup 2024 Competition will also take place live at the G.SKILL Computex 2024 booth, with overclockers going head-to-head with G.SKILL DDR5 memory and 14th Gen Intel Core processors - and yes, even more LN2.

Samsung is speeding into the world of next-gen 3D RAM, the future of compact RAM, something we're learning from its presentation during IMW 2024 this week.

VCT (vertical channel transistor) DRAM is one of the first achievements towards this goal, with Samsung expected to complete the initial development of VCT DRAM in 2025, with 3D DRAM hitting the market by 2030. IWM 2024 is an international conference for computer memory companies, where Samsung teased its developments in DRAM innovation.

ZDNet Korea reported on the story, with Samsung Vice President, Lee Si-woo, speaking during Samsung's research in 4F Square VCT DRAM and 3D DRAM. Lee said: "Industrial developments such as hyperscaler AI and on-demand AI require a lot of memory processing ability. On the other hand, the microprocessing technology of existing DRAM is limited". While, in the future, Lee predicts "new innovations are expected to occur in the structure of cells".

Just as the PC market is pushing heavily into DDR5 memory, we're hearing more about both DDR6 and LPDDR6 memory.

In a new JEDEC presentation, we're hearing about DDR6, LPDDR6, and new CAMM standards for memory. LPDDR5 for example is already 5 years old, and while we've seen mid-product update refreshes including LPDDR5X and LPDDR5T, they won't be good enough for the years to come.

DDR6 memory will reportedly start off at 8800MT/s of bandwidth, up to a huge 17,600MT/s of bandwidth with a "possible extension" to an incredible 21,000MT/s of bandwidth. Keep in mind that DDR5 ranges from between 4000MT/s and 8400MT/s, while DDR4 was stuck down at 1600MT/s through to 3200MT/s.

It seems Microsoft is finally testing the display of memory speeds as MT/s (mega-transfers per second) over the traditional MHz (megahertz) in the Windows 11 Task Manager.

PhantomOcean3, a self-proclaimed Windows sleuth, noticed that Microsoft is now testing showing MT/s for RAM instead of MHz in the Windows 11 Task Manager performance tab. Why is this important?

We see the data transfer speed of computer memory (RAM) advertised with the MHz metric, which represents how many millions of cycles per second the memory module can perform, with each of those cycles being an action on the memory module itself, like storing and retrieving data.

The HBM market is unstoppable right now, attached to the insatiable AI demand that is fueling SK hynix and Micron to sell all of their HBM memory allocation for 2024, and 2025.

In a new report from TrendForce, Senior Research Vice President Avril Wu says that the HBM market is poised for robust growth, "driven by significant premiums and increased capacity needs for AI chips". HBM unit sales are multiple times higher than conventional DRAM, and about 5x higher than DDR5.

Wu explains: "This pricing, combined with product iterations in AI chip technology that increase single-device HBM capacity, is expected to dramatically raise HBM's share in both the capacity and market value of the DRAM market from 2023 to 2025. Specifically, HBM's share of total DRAM bit capacity is estimated to rise from 2% in 2023 to 5% in 2024 and surpass 10% by 2025. In terms of market value, HBM is projected to account for more than 20% of the total DRAM market value starting in 2024, potentially exceeding 30% by 2025".

A new type of memory has been tested running at a blistering 600C for over 60 hours by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.

The researchers have used non-volatile ferroelectric diode (ferrodiode) memory that has absolutely astonishing heat resistance and other properties that allow cutting-edge data and extreme environment computing to breathe a little, pun intended.

Ferrodiode memory devices use a 45nm thin layer of a synthesized AIScN (I0.68Sc0.32N) because of its ability to retain electric states "after an external electric field is removed".

Micron has released the industry's first high-end 128GB DDR5 RDIMM memory that's destined for AI data centers, with speeds of up to 8000MT/s.

Micron announced today that it has validated and shipped its high-capacity monolithic 32Gb DRAM die-based 128GB DDR5 RDIMM memory with speeds starting at 5600MT/s on all leading server platforms. The company explains that its new memory modules are powered by Micron's in-house, industry-leading 1-beta technology, with 45% improved bit density, up to 22% improved energy efficiency, and up to 16% lower latency over competitive through silicon via (TSV) products.

Micron's new high-capacity 128GB DDR5 RDIMMs deliver up to 28% faster performance for AI training, while the 16% less latency is important for memory-bound workloads including generative AI, in-memory databases, and real-time data analytics, where high capacity is needed, and prompt response times are critical for real-time inference.

Samsung has just announced that it has developed the industry's first LPDDR5X memory, supporting the industry's highest performance at up to 10.7Gbps.

The South Korean giant uses 12nm-class process technology, with Samsung achieving the smallest chip size among existing LPDDR memory, which the company says solidifies its technological leadership in the low-power DRAM market. We have all seen the insatiable demand for AI, with on-device AI being a big future for processing AI workloads on devices, which is where low-power, high-performance LPDDR memory steps in.

YongCheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning of the Memory Business at Samsung Electronics, said: "As demand for low-power, high-performance memory increases, LPDDR DRAM is expected to expand its applications from mainly mobile to other areas that traditionally require higher performance and reliability such as PCs, accelerators, servers and automobiles. Samsung will continue to innovate and deliver optimized products for the upcoming on-device AI era through close collaboration with customers".

Corsair has just announced that it has entered the DDR5 workstation memory market, with the introduction of its new WS DDR5 RDIMM memory kits.

The new Corsair WS DDR5 RDIMM memory kits have been engineered to offer uncompromising performance and reliability. They are compatible with Intel's new 4th Gen Xeon and AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series CPUs. If you want to fill every DIMM slot of your motherboard, they come in huge 256 GB DDR5 memory kits.

Corsair says that with its memory kits coming in huge 256GB capacities, it will set a new standard for memory-intensive tasks like high-resolution media editing, 3D rendering, and of course, AI training. Corsair has carefully screened each DIMM, with the modules passing JEDEC specifications with higher timings and higher speeds, making sure you get the optimal performance for the huge workloads these DIMMs will crush.

V-Color has revealed some seriously speedy DDR5 system RAM which is getting on towards the 9GHz milestone for overclocking.

The new Manta XFinity RGB DDR5 memory modules are made in collaboration with MSI, and support being overclocked to a blistering 8600MHz (via Intel's XMP profile).

As V-Color observes, the RAM has been tested and verified on ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790I Lightning Wi-Fi (and Phantom Gaming B760I) motherboards, and it's turning the heads of some expert overclockers already.