The new GDDR7 memory standard for GPUs is to be presented in February – but it will probably only be used by Nvidia
The ISSCC (“International Solid-State Circuits Conference”) will take place in San Francisco from February 18 to 22, 2024. At the conference, Samsung is expected to present the new GDDR7 memory for graphics cards
Thanks to the use of the new pulse amplitude modulation PAM3, this should be able to boast transfer rates of up to 37 Gbps, resulting in a correspondingly high increase in transfer rate – and ultimately performance.
However, we should not expect all graphics card manufacturers to switch to GDDR7 memory. Rather, current leaks suggest that only Nvidia’s upcoming RTX 5000 generation in the high-end range will rely on the new standard.
The most important things in a nutshell
- The ISSCC will take place from February 18 to 22, 2024 in San Francisco.
- Samsung is expected to present the new GDDR7 memory for graphics cards.
- Only Nvidia’s RTX-5000 generation is expected to use GDDR7 memory.
- AMD, on the other hand, will stick with the previous GDDR6 standard.
According to the YouTuber “Moore’s Law is Dead”, only Nvidia is said to have ordered the new GDDR7 standard from the relevant manufacturers. These include the aforementioned Samsung, Micron and SK Hynix.
AMD, on the other hand, is sticking with the previous GDDR6 standard. This will also work in the upcoming RDNA 4 with a transfer rate of 20 Gbps.
AMD’s “mass” orders for GDDR6 memory from the respective manufacturers also have to do with the Playstation 5 Pro, which is said to have an upgrade to the graphics chip
Accordingly, no upgrade is expected for the RX 8000 with regard to the memory used. However, it is also considered unlikely that Nvidia will implement this across the board for the entire RTX 5000 portfolio.
Nvidia is more likely to work in the same way as the current RTX 4000 generation and initially only install the better memory in the upper premium class.
It is conceivable, for example, that only models from the RTX 5080 upwards will work with GDDR7 memory, while the mid-range and lower GPUs will still have to make do with GDDR6(X).
In view of the rumors in recent months, it should not come as a surprise that AMD is leaving this field to its competitor without a fight, so to speak.
Back in August last year, it was stated that the RDNA 4 generation would probably not include a “real high-end model”:
Should AMD forgo GDDR7 and focus on the mid-range and the upcoming Playstation 5 Pro? Or would you like to see the Radeon manufacturer become more competitive in the flagship segment? Does the new memory standard make the next GPU generation a potential upgrade for you? Let us know in the comments below:
