There’s no such thing as memory that’s too fast, especially when it comes to games. That’s why manufacturers stick memory right on the graphics card, and why it’s specifically optimized for visual applications.
GDDR6 (that’s “Graphics Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory version 6”) has been around for seven years, and now it looks like the next revision is right around the corner.
SK Hynix, one of the “Big Three” memory manufacturers alongside Samsung and Micron, says it’ll be ready to mass produce GDDR7 modules beginning in the first quarter of 2025. That’s what they told AnandTech at Computex, anyway.
There they showed off 16GB and 25GB module capacities with 40Gbps (40 gigatransfers) speed and 160GB/s bandwidth. That’s approximately double the speed of GDDR6 modules in current graphics cards.
Samsung and Micron are both on even faster timelines, reportedly planning to get GDDR7 modules out the door before the end of this year. That means that new graphics cards—or at least the most powerful and most expensive of new models—could have the new GDDR7 memory in place and ready for store shelves as soon as mid-2025.
Of course, there are several variables at play in this equation, and it’s not as if we’re desperate for more graphics power at the moment.
Nvidia could probably keep selling its current high-end chips and cards for AI data centers until the cows come home, feeling no need to innovate with the presumptive RTX 50 series of cards for the sake of consumers. AMD and Intel might feel compelled to capture those consumers in a stale market… or just follow the leader for fear of losing hold of the sliver of market share they still have.
To sum up, I’m no Nostradamus (and even he was a hack), so take all these projections with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.