SK Hynix starts delivery of stacked video memory and gddr5 with 8Gbit/s
SK Hynix has begun delivery of its stacked High Bandwidth Memory for next-generation graphics cards. In addition, the memory manufacturer has started supplying gddr5 chips with a throughput rate of 8Gbit/s.
SK Hynix’s HBM memory is available in 1Gb chips and provides a bandwidth of 1Gbit/s per signal. This is stated in the manufacturer’s ‘databook’ for the fourth quarter of 2014. The bandwidth for the entire stack is 128GB/s. Coming GPUs can be equipped with four stacks, with which the bandwidth can reach 512GB/s. It is the first High Bandwidth Memory that SK Hynix releases.
In the future, a bandwidth of 2Gbit/s should be within reach, increasing the bandwidth per stack to 256GB/s and GPUs with four modules can therefore expect a bandwidth of 1TB/s. SK Hynix’s HBM operates on 1.2V. In comparison, an Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan Black has a bandwidth of 336GB/s with its 384-bit wide bus and 7Gbit/s gddr5 and that memory works at 1.5V.
Earlier, the details about the stacked memory of SK Hynix were already known. The manufacturer places four dram-dies on top of each other and connects these layers via vertical through-silicon via or TSV channels through the silicon. These shorter data lines than regular dram bring advantages in terms of cost, size, energy and bandwidth.
SK Hynix is working with AMD on the technology and there is a possibility that the memory will be used for next-generation Radeon Rx 300 series cards. Rumors about this have been circulating for some time. Nvidia will use the stacked memory for its Pascal GPU, the successor to the current Maxwell GPU.
SK Hynix also delivered the first gddr5 chips with bandwidth of 8Gbit/s in the fourth quarter. Until now, the maximum was 7Gbit/s. It also concerns regular 4Gb chips that operate at 1.55V. The bandwidth of a new GM20x GPU from Nvidia could increase from 224GB/s with the GM204 to 256GB/s with the same memory bus. AMD’s Hawaii GPU uses 5Gbit/s gddr5. The new memory from SK Hynix could also be used for the next generation Radeon Rx 300 series.