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DDR5 RAM production postponed for end of 2019

First mainstream DDR5 RAM modules are now expected to be commercialized in 2020. (Source: Anandtech)
First mainstream DDR5 RAM modules are now expected to be commercialized in 2020. (Source: Anandtech)
The first desktop and laptop DDR5 RAM modules are now expected to be released at some point in 2020, as JEDEC has not yet finalized the hardware specs for the DDR5 standard. What we know for sure about the DDR5 RAM is that it will feature at least double the bandwidth, 4800 MT/s and later on 6400 MT/s speeds, plus independent 40-bit channels per module.

Cadence and Micron already presented DDR5-4400 functional prototype modules earlier this year, and the companies were estimating commercial availability some time in 2019, but, apparently, this might not be the case anymore. Since JEDEC itself did not finalize the DDR5 specifications as of yet, the two companies now claim that, although still on track, the first DDR5 modules might not be launched in 2019, as the first production wave was pushed towards the end of 2019.

According to an article posted on the Cadence blog, Micron’s Ryan Baxter claims that the 16 Gb DDR5 chips will be manufactured on a sub-18 process at TSMC by the end of 2018, so commercial modules are expected to hit the markets in 2020. However, the enterprise sector could be getting server DRR5 modules at some point in 2019. For now, Intel and AMD have not yet announced any support for the DDR5 standard, but the red team might provide DDR5 compatibility with the successor of the AM4 socket, which should be launched in 2020.

Some of the benefits of the upcoming DDR5 standard include increased data rates of 4800 MT/s and 6400 MT/s, improved command bus efficiency, almost doubled bandwidth (DDR5-4800 vs DDR4-3200), increased scalability beyond 16 Gb density per chip, and two independent 40-bit channels per module. LPDDR5 modules for ultrabooks and mobile devices are also expected to hit the market in 2020 at around the same adoption rate as for DDR5.

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Bogdan Solca, 2018-10-18 (Update: 2018-10-18)