Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has begun sampling the industry’s first 16-gigabit (Gb) Graphics Double Data Rate 6 (GDDR6) DRAM featuring 24-gigabit-per-second (Gbps) processing speeds. Built on Samsung’s third-generation 10-nanometer-class (1z)¹ process using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology, the new memory is designed to significantly advance the graphics performance for next-generation graphics cards (Video Graphics Arrays), laptops and game consoles, as well as artificial intelligence-based applications and high-performance computing (HPC) systems.

“The explosion of data now being driven by AI and the metaverse is pushing the need for greater graphics capabilities that can process massive data sets simultaneously, at extremely high speeds,” said Daniel Lee, Executive Vice President of the Memory Product Planning Team at Samsung Electronics. “With our industry-first 24Gbps GDDR6 now sampling, we look forward to validating the graphics DRAM on next-generation GPU platforms to bring it to market in time to meet an onslaught of new demand.”

Engineered with an innovative circuit design and a highly advanced insulating material (High-K Metal Gate; HKMG) that minimizes current leakage, Samsung’s 24Gbps GDDR6 will deliver 30% faster speeds compared to the previous 18Gbps product. When integrated into a premium graphics card, the GDDR6 DRAM can transfer up to 1.1-terabytes (TB) of data, or about 275 Full HD movies, in just one second.

Designed to be fully compliant with JEDEC specifications, Samsung’s GDDR6 DRAM will be compatible across all GPU designs, facilitating broad market adoption in a wide array of graphics solutions.

Samsung’s new GDDR6 lineup will also feature low-power options that help extend the battery life of laptops. Utilizing dynamic voltage switching (DVS) technology which adjusts the operating voltage depending on performance requirements, Samsung will provide 20Gbps and 16Gbps versions with approximately 20% higher power efficiency at 1.1V, compared to the 1.35V GDDR6 industry standard.

Graphics DRAM is increasingly being sought for use beyond PCs, laptops and game consoles, extending into other graphics-intensive applications like HPC, autonomous driving and electric cars. Addressing these emerging markets, Samsung’s GDDR6 will enable seamless 4K and 8K video playback, while supporting demanding AI accelerator workloads.

Samsung continues to lead the graphics DRAM market globally and forecasts that the high-performance graphics portion will see double-digit growth annually in the coming years.

With customer verifications starting this month, Samsung plans to commercialize its 24Gbps GDDR6 DRAM in line with GPU platform launches, therein accelerating graphics innovation throughout the high-speed computing market.

¹ Samsung’s first-generation 10nm-class DRAM is termed 1x, followed by 1y (second-generation), 1z (third-generation), 1a (fourth-generation) and so on.

“With the recent proliferation of electric vehicles and the rapid advancement of infotainment and autonomous driving systems, the semiconductor automotive platform is facing a paradigm shift. What used to be a seven to eight-year replacement cycle is now being compressed into a three to four-year cycle, and at the same time, performance and capacity requirements are advancing to levels commonly found in servers,” said Jinman Han, Executive Vice President and Head of Memory Global Sales & Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung’s reinforced lineup of memory solutions will act as a major catalyst in further accelerating the shift toward the ‘Server on Wheels’ era.”

Advanced features in infotainment systems such as high-definition maps, video streaming and 3D gaming, together with the growing use of autonomous driving systems, have been driving the demand for high-capacity, high-performance SSDs and graphics DRAM throughout the automotive industry.

In 2017, Samsung was the first in the industry to introduce UFS solutions for automotive applications. Today, the company is well-positioned to provide a total memory solution with the new automotive SSD and GDDR6 DRAM.

Samsung’s 256GB BGA SSD controller and firmware are developed in-house for optimized performance, offering a sequential read speed of 2,100 megabytes per second (MB/s) and a sequential write speed of 300MB/s, which are seven and two times faster than today’s eMMC, respectively. Furthermore, the 2GB GDDR6 DRAM features up to a 14 gigabit-per-second (Gbps) data rate per pin. Such exceptional speeds and bandwidth will support complex processing of various multimedia applications as well as large amounts of autonomous driving data, contributing to a safer, more dynamic and more convenient driving experience.

In addition, Samsung’s new automotive solutions meet the AEC-Q100 qualification — the global automotive reliability standard — allowing them to operate stably in extreme temperatures ranging from -40°C to +105°C, which is an especially crucial requirement for automotive semiconductors.

Recently, sensor deployment in autonomous vehicles to continuously monitor immediate surroundings has been increasing, and high-speed processing to interpret and predict this data for safer driving is becoming critically important. By introducing automotive memory solutions previously championed in servers and AI accelerators, Samsung is helping to pave the way for safer autonomous driving.

Having already completed customer evaluations, the new automotive memory products are currently in mass production.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, is dedicated to developing the future of safe autonomous driving with components and solutions that prioritize safety above all else. In order to enable effective, high-speed driver feedback, Samsung’s automotive memory solutions for processing, storing and accessing information are paving the way for seamless and safe autonomous driving experiences.

The video below introduces some of the automotive memory solutions Samsung has integrated to ensure the most effective automobile-driver feedback loop possible. The eUFS harnesses its exceptional speed capability to power on in-car systems in 2 seconds with instant data access. The AutoSSD stores map data for autonomous driving at the highest bandwidth. The LPDDR5 DRAM component makes use of a highly advanced, speed-optimized and energy-efficient circuit architecture to transfer data from automobile sensors instantaneously, and the GDDR6 DRAM allows for AI deep learning thanks to its ultra-high bandwidth.

Take a look at the video below for more information on how these powerful components are enabling the future of autonomous driving, putting safety above all else. This latest development forms part of Samsung’s commitment to investing in four key growth areas: AI, 5G technology, bio-pharmaceuticals and auto-technology components for future smart cars.

Find out more: smsng.co/semiconductor.

As the graphics show below, semiconductor solutions are used in a wide array of automotive applications such as the camera and sensing system, dashboard, IVI (In-Vehicle Infotainment) system, ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistant System), autonomous driving central computing system and gateway. Semiconductors will be used even more extensively in the future, especially with the potential introduction of autonomous driving.

Samsung has been continuously cooperating with leading automobile manufacturers to make its semiconductor technologies available in the industry’s latest automobiles as well as next-generation cars. The company has participated in the Audi Progressive SemiConductor Program (PSCP) since 2015 with its advanced memory solutions and Exynos processors.

With its multiple operating system compatibility and support for multi-display, Samsung’s flagship Exynos processors enable powerful computing and graphics processing performance for today’s automobiles with highly graphical user interfaces. Along with its Exynos offerings, Samsung also plans to develop a wide array of logic IC solutions for upcoming automotive applications. Images sensors, working as the eyes of future vehicles, will have further improved frame rate and light sensitivity for thorough monitoring and sensing the driving environment.

When it comes to memory solutions, Samsung provides its high-performance, high-density LPDDR4 /LPDDR4X and GDDR6 DRAM lineups to address ever increasing demand for higher data bandwidth. For secure data storage, Samsung offers advanced eMMC and UFS solutions. All of these Samsung semiconductor solutions for automotive applications guarantee the highest performance levels among their kinds and are designed to endure tough environments inside the automobiles such as sudden temperature changes and continuous vibration.

Also offered by Samsung are LED components for interior and exterior lighting of automobiles such as cluster indicator lighting, headlamps and turn signal lamps. Based on upcoming technologies like pixel lighting, Samsung will be able to provide LED packages and modules that will enable more sophisticated and reliable lighting solutions.