Samsung to launch DDR5 server RAM using HKMG technology

Samsung announced that it had developed the industry’s first 512GB DDR5 memory modules using HKMG (High-K Metal Gate) technology, which uses high dielectric constant dielectrics and metalized gates. The new type of memory is designed for server systems that will support DDR5 RAM. Such support is expected, for example, in the new AMD EPYC (Genoa, Zen 4) and Intel Xeon (Sapphire Rapids) processors.

Each 512GB Samsung DDR5 Registered (RDIMM) RAM module is equipped with thirty-two 16GB eight-layer memory chips (8-Hi) with a capacity of 16GB each. The manufacturer has not yet announced the maximum data transfer rate supported by its new memory modules. However, this can be easily explained – the company is not yet entitled to share the features and specifications of new generation server platforms.

An interesting feature of Samsung’s 512 GB DDR5 memory modules is that it uses the latest 16 Gbit DDR5 modules, where instead of the usual dielectrics, dielectrics from a material with a high dielectric constant are used, which are usually found in the manufacture of logic chips to reduce current leakage. … This is not the first time Samsung has used HKMG technology for memory – back in 2018, it began using it to produce high-speed GDDR6 modules.

According to the manufacturer, the lower power consumption of the DDR5 memory modules themselves, the HKMG dielectric layer, and other improvements can reduce the overall power consumption of DDR5 by 13% compared to the previous memory standard. The use of new 512 GB memory modules from Samsung in server systems with support for eight-channel RAM operation will increase RAM’s total amount to 8 TB instead of the current 4 TB.

Samsung notes that the company has already begun testing various DDR5 memory modules with its partners’ server platforms. The manufacturer hopes that the new memory standard will pass all the necessary tests and receive all the necessary certificates by the time the first server systems with support for DDR5 memory are introduced to the market.