DDR 1 to 6 history

Recently, JEDEC (the Solid State Technology Association, a leading standards organization in the microelectronics industry), in addition to preparing to formulate a new generation of DDR6 high-performance memory, is also actively preparing a new generation of low-power memory LPDDR6, which is mainly used in smartphones, thin and light notebooks, etc.

As the semiconductor industry gradually emerges from the down cycle, storage, as a segment with more obvious cyclical fluctuations in the semiconductor industry, has shown obvious signs of recovery this year. DDR6 is about to become the next generation memory standard.

Storage for 20 years

DDR (DDR1):

Introduced in 2000, DDR SDRAM was a significant improvement over its predecessor, SDR SDRAM (single-rate SDRAM).

DDR1 doubles the data transfer rate compared to SDR SDRAM, allowing for faster memory access and improved system performance.

DDR1 modules initially offer data transfer rates ranging from 200 MT/s to 400 MT/s (teratransmissions per second).

DDR1 memory is commonly used in desktop computers, laptops, and early server systems.

DDR2:

Introduced in 2003, DDR2 SDRAM further improves speed and efficiency over DDR1.

DDR2 has twice the prefetch buffer size compared to DDR1, resulting in higher data throughput.

DDR2 modules initially offer data transfer rates ranging from 400 MT/s to 800 MT/s.

DDR2 memory is widely used in mid-range to high-end computing systems and offers higher performance and energy efficiency than DDR1.

DDR3:

DDR3 SDRAM, released in 2007, represented another major advancement in memory technology.

Compared with DDR2, DDR3 further increases the data transfer rate while reducing power consumption.

DDR3 modules initially supported data transfer rates from 800 MT/s to 1600 MT/s, with later speeds up to 2133 MT/s.

DDR3 memory became the standard for mainstream computing systems, balancing performance, energy efficiency and price.

DDR4:

DDR4 SDRAM debuted in 2014, ushering in a new era of memory technology.

DDR4 offers higher data transfer rates and lower operating voltages compared to DDR3, resulting in improved performance and energy efficiency.

DDR4 modules initially supported data transfer rates from 1600 MT/s to 3200 MT/s, with later versions exceeding 4000 MT/s.

DDR4 memory becomes the standard for high-performance computing systems, including gaming PCs, workstations, and servers.

DDR5:

DDR5 SDRAM was officially finalized in 2020 and represents the latest advancement in DDR memory technology.

DDR5 promises higher data transfer rates, greater bandwidth and enhanced functionality compared to DDR4.

DDR5 modules support data transfer rates starting at 4800 MT/s and are expected to exceed 8400 MT/s in future generations.

DDR5 memory is gradually replacing DDR4 in desktops, servers, and laptops, delivering higher performance and scalability for demanding workloads.

02

DDR6’s new “black technology”

As we approach the era of DDR6, expectations are sky high that this next-generation memory standard will revolutionize computing. With increased speeds, enhanced bandwidth and advanced features, DDR6 promises to redefine the boundaries of memory performance.

One of the most anticipated aspects of DDR6 memory is its impressive speed capabilities. Specifically:

Performance

DDR6 performance is expected to be significantly improved over DDR5. This is due to a variety of factors, including increased clock speeds, improved data bus widths, and reduced latency.

DDR6 clock speeds are expected to start at 12,800 MT/s, twice as fast as DDR5. Data bus width is also expected to double, from 64 bits to 128 bits. This means that DDR6 can transfer twice as much data per clock cycle as DDR5.

DDR6 latency is also expected to be reduced. Latency is the time it takes for the memory controller to access data in memory. Lower latency means faster access to data, improving performance.

Power consumption

DDR6 is also expected to consume less power than DDR5. This is due to a number of factors, including the use of new power management technology and the use of more efficient memory chips.

One new power management technology expected to be used in DDR6 is dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS). DVFS allows the memory controller to adjust the voltage and frequency of the memory chips based on workload. This helps reduce power consumption when memory is not used frequently.

DDR6 memory chips are also expected to be more efficient than DDR5 memory chips. This is due to a number of factors, including the adoption of new manufacturing processes and the use of new materials.

capacity

DDR6 is expected to support higher capacity memory modules than DDR5. This is due to a variety of factors, including the use of new memory packaging technology and the use of higher-density memory chips.

DDR6 memory modules are expected to be available in capacities up to 256 GB. This is four times the capacity of the largest DDR5 memory module.

new function

DDR6 is also expected to support several new features such as on-chip error correcting code (ECC) and read and write CRC modes. These features will help improve the reliability and integrity of data stored in DDR6 memory modules.

On-chip ECC is a type of ECC implemented on the memory chip itself. This is different from traditional ECC implemented on the memory controller. On-chip ECC is more efficient than traditional ECC and can detect and correct more errors.

Read and write CRC mode is used to check the integrity of data read from and written to memory. If an error is detected, CRC mode can automatically correct the error.

Why is DDR6 important?

In the era of digital economy, how to better obtain and utilize data, a new factor of production, has become a new battlefield for global competition. As data becomes a national strategy and storage becomes the cornerstone of the digital world, data storage capabilities will directly affect the quality of economic and social development.

As the vane of semiconductors, the importance of storage is self-evident. Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate the deployment of next-generation storage technology and seize the opportunities of global storage development to deploy innovative technologies and gather talents. According to data from market research firm Trend Force, DRAM product contract prices began to fall in the fourth quarter of 2021, falling for eight consecutive quarters, and began to rise in the fourth quarter of 2023. In terms of NAND Flash, contract prices began to fall in the third quarter of 2022, falling for four consecutive seasons, and began to rise in the third quarter of 2023. Gartner predicts that the storage market will grow by 66.3% in 2024, while the global semiconductor market is expected to grow by 16.8% year-on-year.

All the way to better DDR5

As the next generation technology, the development trend of DDR5 directly affects people's judgment of DDR6. Currently, in the mainstream DRAM market structure, Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix dominate the world. For the latest generation of DDR5, after experiencing production capacity and performance climbing in the first half of 2023, the proportion of revenue from the three major original manufacturers continued to rise in the second half of the year, and it will officially usher in a golden development period in 2024.

According to research by TrendForce, Samsung's revenue in the fourth quarter of 2023 reached US$7.95 billion, a quarterly increase of more than 50%. This was mainly due to the increase in 1alpha nm DDR5 shipments, which increased the number of server DRAM shipments. Quarterly growth exceeded 60%. Although SK hynix’s bit shipments increased by only 1~3% quarter-on-quarter, it continued to benefit from the price advantages of HBM and DDR5, as well as profits from high-capacity Server DRAM modules. The average sales unit price in the quarter was It increased by 17~19%, with revenue in the fourth quarter reaching US$5.56 billion, a quarterly increase of 20.2%. Micron's volume and price both increased, with both bit shipments and average sales unit price increasing by 4-6% quarter-on-quarter. The proportion of DDR5 and HBM was relatively low, so revenue growth was relatively moderate. Revenue in the fourth quarter reached US$3.35 billion. Quarterly growth of 8.9%.

As for LPDDR5, TrendForce believes that AI PC is expected to increase the average PC capacity and increase the proportion of LPDDR in PC DRAM. In terms of CPUs that Microsoft defines as meeting NPU 40 TOPS, there are three models, and they are Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, AMD Strix Point and Intel Lunar Lake based on shipping time. Among them, the common point of the three CPUs is that they all use LPDDR5x instead of the DDR SO-DIMM module currently used by the mainstream. The main consideration is to increase the transmission speed; in terms of DDR5 specifications, the current speed is 4800-5600Mbps, while LPDDR5x It falls between 7500-8533Mbps, which will be helpful for AI PCs that need to accept more language instructions and shorten the response speed. Therefore, TrendForce predicts that LPDDR will account for about 30~35% of PC DRAM demand this year. In the future, it will receive specification support from AI PC CPU manufacturers, thereby increasing the proportion of LPDDR imports.

Industry insiders say that as DDR5/LPDDR5(X) technology becomes more mature, its shelf life may be longer than that of the previous generation. At present, storage manufacturers are currently focusing on HBM, DDR5 and LPDDR5(X) products in terms of production expansion.

bellwether effect

Samsung has started the early stage of DDR6 research and development work in 2021. It is expected that the initial frequency will reach 12.8GHz, which is almost 1.7 times higher than DDR5, and it is expected to be overclocked to 17GHz. Although DDR5 memory splits an internal 64-bit channel into two 32-bit, it is of course not a true dual channel, and two channels must be combined. DDR6 will be further split into four internal channels, and the number of banks will increase to 64.

In terms of video memory, Samsung confirmed that it is developing GDDR6+ with an equivalent frequency of up to 24GHz. GDDR7 is also on the roadmap, and the frequency is expected to increase to 32GHz and support real-time error protection.

Samsung, one of the world's major memory module producers, has been talking about its DDR6 development for several years. Although it was done in secret, it officially announced the news as part of its memory development roadmap during Samsung Technology Day 2022.

If the current schedule is accurate, DDR6 will be commercially available in 2026. This is about the same gap between the launch of DDR4 and DDR5 memory.

In addition to Samsung, according to SK Hynix's official website, SK Hynix launched the world's fastest 2Znm 8Gb (gigabit) GDDR6 DRAM in 2017. The product has an I/O data rate of 16Gbps (gigabits per second) per pin, which is the fastest in the industry. Using high-end graphics cards, this DRAM can process up to 768GB (gigabytes) of graphics data per second.

GDDR is a specialized DRAM that can quickly process large amounts of graphics data based on graphics card commands in personal computers, workstations, video players, and high-performance game consoles. GDDR6 is expected to quickly replace GDDR5 and GDDR5X. SK Hynix has been working with core graphics chipset customers to mass-produce GDDR6 in time to meet the upcoming market demand.

"SK Hynix will actively respond to the market for high-quality, high-performance graphics memory solutions by launching the industry's fastest GDDR6," said Jonghoon Oh, senior vice president and head of DRAM product development. "The company will help our customers improve the performance of high-end graphics cards," he added. GDDR6 is seen as one of the essential memory solutions for emerging industries such as AI (artificial intelligence), VR (virtual reality), self-driving cars, and high-definition displays above 4K to support their visualization.

In addition, major manufacturers such as Micron are also deploying DDR6, and the leader's move will undoubtedly affect the deployment of this industry.

With the launch of the DDR6 memory standard, the memory market will usher in a new round of technological innovation and market opportunities. As a leading semiconductor packaging substrate manufacturer, HOREXS will continue to uphold the innovation-driven development concept and meet the manufacturing needs of DDR6 packaging substrates through technology improvement and market layout.

In the future, HOREXS will continue to increase R&D investment, continuously improve its technology level, and ensure its leading position in the DDR6 packaging substrate market. At the same time, HOREXS will also actively expand the global market and win more customers' trust and cooperation by providing high-quality products and services.

In short, with the launch of the new DDR6 memory standard, HOREXS will usher in new development opportunities and challenges. With its successful experience in the production of DDR4 and DDR5 packaging substrates, as well as its continuous efforts in technology and market, HOREXS is confident that it will achieve even more brilliant results in the DDR6 packaging substrate market.