Samsung unveils GDDR6 memory with a huge capacity upgrade

Samsung has announced its brand-new GDDR6 memory that’s set to solve the requirement of “massive memory and increased computing power” typically required by a workstation for creating objects and environments in virtual spaces.

The company calls this the “industry’s first next-generation graphics DRAM technology”, which sees traditional GDDR6 products improved by adding an additional DRAM device to effectively double capacity and bandwidth, without the associated impacts you’d typically expect like a larger form factor.

Samsung hopes that GDDR6W will make these gains using the same energy footprint as GDDR6, which the chip maker hopes will allow customers to use the newer technology without having to make drastic changes to existing hardware.

Samsung GDDR6W

This is managed by what Samsung calls a Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging (FOWLP) technology. 

The clever packaging also sees the traditional printed circuit board (PCB) replaced with a re-distribution layer, allowing for a more compact design with finer wiring patterns, seeing a typical package thickness reduce from 1.1mm to 0.7mm.

The stacking involved in the FOWLP construction is also said to cut manufacturing time and costs in a world where companies and consumers are looking to tighten their spending.

“With GDDR6W, we’re able to foster differentiated memory products that can satisfy various customer needs – a major step towards securing our leadership in the market,” CheolMin Park, Vice President of New Business Planning, Samsung Electronics Memory Business, explained.

Samsung hopes to use its GDDR6W for AI and high-performance computing accelerators, but it has also announced plans to bring it into a smaller form factor to fit in devices like notebooks. 

While the likes of AMD and Nvidia are yet to support GDDR6W, Samsung does plan to cooperate with its GPU partners to speed up the rollout.