Samsung Electronics, SK hynix expands chips competition

[Graphics by Song Ji-yoon]

The demand for artificial intelligence (AI) memory semiconductors is expanding beyond the server market to the portable device market, including laptops. With the release of the specifications for Nvidia Corp.’s next-generation AI chip for laptops, memory companies are competing to begin mass production.

According to multiple industry sources on Monday, Nvidia’s next-generation graphic processing unit (GPU) for laptops, GeForce RTX 50 series (Blackwell), is expected to feature GDDR7, the latest graphics DRAM, instead of high-bandwidth memory (HBM). The product is projected to be released in 2025.

GDDR is an ultra-fast DRAM responsible for handling video and graphics in PCs, gaming consoles, and more. Compared to HBM, another ultra-fast DRAM, GDDR has relatively lower speeds but consumes less power and is more cost-effective.

Power efficiency is particularly crucial for portable devices such as laptops or mobile devices, making GDDR a more suitable choice than HBM. The next-generation product, GDDR7, is set to see significant speed improvements over the previous generation, making it apt for AI chips in terms of performance.

Technically, GDDR7 memory’s maximum speed is 48 Gbps, double that of the previous generation. Thanks to this fact, memory companies see GDDR as a major memory component for the AI era along with HBM and are planning to start mass production of GDDR7 in the second half of 2024.

Samsung Electronics is currently the closest to mass producing the GDDR7. The company recently announced that it will begin mass production soon and disclosed detailed specifications for two GDDR7 products.

The first mass production products are 16GB models with speeds of 32 Gbps and 28 Gbps respectively. Samsung Electronics developed the 32 Gbps product during the earlier stages of development in 2023, which resulted in a product with a speed of up to 37 Gbps a year later.

For its part, SK hynix Inc. has yet to disclose detailed specifications of the products that will be mass-produced. But the company unveiled a GDDR7 with a speed of 40 Gbps at GTC 2024, Nvidia’s recent developer conference, where it grabbed the industry’s attention.

This speed surpasses Samsung Electronics’ highest speed, but the actual product specifications will be available at the products’ release.

Micron Technology Inc. has also announced that it will recently developed and will release GDDR7 chips in 2024, which offer a 60 percent increase in speed and a 50 percent improvement in power efficiency over the previous generation. Micron, which currently supplies GDDR6 products mainly to Nvidia’s GPUs, aims to carry this momentum into the next generation.