Micron's 32Gb DDR5 Memory Chips
Micron is getting ready to start manufacturing its 32Gb DDR5 memory chips, a move that could pave the way for 1TB modules in the future. The company’s GDDR6 and GDDR7 chips are already available, and the next step is to develop higher capacities. Micron’s roadmap shows that it is already working on 16Gb and 24Gb GDDR7 chips with 32GT/s transfer speeds. But it’s the 32Gb chips that could prove the most exciting for future systems.
There’s no word on data transfer rates yet, but the existing DDR4 modules are capable of speeds up to 6700MT/s. That said, there isn’t much point in having incredibly fast modules without the accompanying CPUs, GPUs, and NVMe drives to take advantage.
In the meantime, Micron has a roadmap for 128GB, 192GB, and 256GB DDR5 modules, which would pave the way for 512GB and 1TB modules. These could potentially be stacked ICs, but it’s more likely that initial availability will be made-to-order for specific partners.
Achieving 1TB modules would require stacking eight 32Gb ICs and 32 stacks on a stick, which sounds like it could be a bit fiddly. However, the benefits are clear – especially if you consider that some of the upcoming Nvidia GeForce FX Series cards could potentially support up to 8TB of RAM.
Of course, Micron’s progress doesn’t mean that we’ll see 1TB of RAM on gaming PCs any time soon. Big tech companies may well be able to pull strings and get access to these advancements before the rest of us, but it’s exciting to see the foundations being laid.
