Samsung's new GDDR3 targets 1 GByte graphic cards

San Jose (CA) - Samsung claims that it has developed the industry's fastest memory for graphic chips with a bandwidth of up to 2 Gbit per second. A slightly slower memory generation has entered mass production and will enable the production of 1 GByte graphic cards.

The new memory is about 70 percent faster than the conventional 1.2 Gbit GDDR3 devices, according to Samsung. The new product is built in a 90nm process and was announced as 512 Mbit (64 MByte) chips. The maximum bandwidth of the high-speed memory, which is expected to be introduced in performance graphic cards and next-gen gaming consoles later this year, is 8 GByte per second in a 32x2 bank configuration.

While gamers will have to wait for the 2 Gbit memory, Samsung said that it has mass production of its 1.6 Gbit 512 Mbit GDDR3, which was announced in December 2004. The memory will allow card manufacturer to create high-end boards with a maximum density of 1 GByte by combining 16 monolithic 512 Mbit GDDR3s together, Samsung said.

1.6 Gbit 90nm 512 Mbit GDDR3 DRAMs are available now in volume production worldwide, Samsung said.

Infineon made a similar announcement in April, when the company said it had developed new memories for graphics cards. Infineon plans to begin the mass production of 512 Mbit GDDR3 chips in the second half of this year, according to a statement.