Samsung Achieves Technological Lead with Next-Generation Graphics DRAM 'GDDR6W'

Industry's First Next-Generation Graphics DRAM Technology Unveiled
Performance and Capacity Doubled Compared to Existing Products
Samsung, Leader in Graphics DRAM, Strives to Secure Market Opportunities

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Pyeonghwa] Samsung Electronics, leading the graphic DRAM market, has once again taken the lead in market dominance through technological superiority. In July, it unveiled GDDR6W, the next-generation graphic DRAM technology, by combining the advanced packaging technology with the previously announced GDDR6 technology. This is the industry's first case. Samsung Electronics plans to expand its market opportunities by applying this technology to various fields such as accelerators, gaming, and PCs.

On the 29th, Samsung Electronics announced that it has developed the graphic memory GDDR6W, which doubles the performance and capacity compared to existing products by utilizing advanced packaging technology. This next-generation graphic DRAM technology was introduced by leveraging packaging technology, which has recently gained as much attention as process miniaturization in the semiconductor industry. Packaging refers to the process of cutting wafers into semiconductor shapes or connecting wiring after the front-end process is completed.

GDDR6W combines Samsung Electronics' recently announced GDDR6 technology with the next-generation packaging technology called Fan-Out Wafer Level Package (FOWLP), significantly increasing bandwidth and capacity. In July, Samsung Electronics introduced the industry's fastest graphic DRAM, 24Gbps GDDR6, to the market.

By utilizing FOWLP packaging technology, performance and capacity can each be doubled within the same package size as GDDR6. FOWLP is characterized by directly mounting memory chip dies onto a silicon wafer instead of a printed circuit board (PCB), allowing finer wiring patterns. Since it does not use a PCB, the package thickness can be reduced while enhancing heat dissipation capabilities.

Samsung Electronics stated that the product was introduced in response to market demands for high-bandwidth graphic memory. They also explained that with the rising concept of 'digital twin,' which connects the physical real world and the virtual digital world, and the increase in high-spec games that enhance immersion, graphic memory capable of handling vast amounts of data has become essential.

Regarding the GDDR6W product, Samsung Electronics completed JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) standardization in the second quarter, securing a foundation for commercialization. Samsung Electronics explained that through cooperation with GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) companies, the application can be expanded to new high-performance accelerators used in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) applications, as well as various devices such as laptops.

Park Cheolmin, Executive Director of the New Business Planning Team at Samsung Electronics Memory Division, said, “We expect to support differentiated memory products that satisfy diverse customer demands with GDDR6W. We will continue to lead the related market going forward.”

According to market research firm Omdia, the demand for graphic DRAM is rapidly increasing, and the market size is growing quickly. The global graphic DRAM market, which was valued at $2.384 billion in 2019, grew by 178.70% to $6.644 billion last year in just two years. Samsung Electronics recorded sales of $2.587 billion last year, securing the number one position in the graphic DRAM market with a 38.9% market share. Following behind were U.S. company Micron (33.3%) and SK Hynix (27.8%). Since these are high value-added products, intense competition among memory manufacturers is expected in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.