DDR6 update: Despite DRAM crisis, top manufacturers commence DDR6 development

It seems like the ongoing DRAM crisis hasn’t forced top manufacturers from delaying their plans for next-generation memory modules. A new report has stated that early development for DDR6 memory has started, even though spec information is not complete. For now, DDR6 is still a couple of years away, but how much more expensive it will be over DDR5, only time will tell.

The report from Korean publication The Elec, citing multiple sources in the substrate industry, claims that Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have asked substrate manufacturers to move forward with the development of DDR6. It also states that these manufacturers only have partial information since the standard, including thickness, for DDR6 has not yet been finalized by the Joint Electronic Devices Engineering Council (JEDEC).

For now, substrate manufacturers have been given information on the memory thickness, stack-up structure, and wiring. With this, they are expected to develop test samples before mass production begins. The report also cites an official from the substrate industry and says joint development typically commences two years before product launch, suggesting DDR6 modules will become available to the public by 2028 at the earliest.

DDR6 is expected to bring a significant increase in speed over DDR5. It is expected to reach up to 17.6 Gbps while DDR5 is rated for up to 9.6 Gbps. This performance gain will likely come with an equally high price gap, just like DDR5 did over DDR4. Hopefully, by 2028-2029, the ongoing DRAM crisis would have settled, and prices for memory that have skyrocketed over the past year would have normalized.