Intel and AMD are making some interesting developments for the upcoming future. Both chipmakers are accelerating their plans for the next-generation DDR5 memory. The upcoming standard will provide memory bandwidth between 3200MHz to 8400 MHz. Other improvements include a single 32 GB and 64 GB module and 32 physical layers. Two of its notable features are Decision Feedback Equalization (DFE) and same-bank refresh. DDR4 is expected to be phased out by 2021, transitioning to DDR5 modules.
AMD will be releasing the B550 chipset providing the PCIe 4.0 for its x16 slot. Intel also will be releasing a new desktop processor and motherboard platform, namely the Intel Z490 and the B460. But the confirmation about its PCIe 4.0 adoption is unclear.
SK Hynix’s Explanation
SK Hynix did post a whitepaper on DDR5 memory standard. It says:
DDR5 continues the tradition of increasing data rates from previous generations. The data transfers are expected to be specified between 3200 to 6400 MT/s. DDR5 will continue to use single-ended data nets as with previous generations. To help manage the signal integrity issues arising from the high data rates, Decision Feedback Equalization (DFE) is expected to be incorporated into the DRAMs. This should help mitigate the effects of reflected signals.
AMD’s next-generation features
Intel is expected to be the first to adopt DDR5, but AMD’s implementation is extensive. The read team will debut the Zen 4 microarchitecture and is scheduled for 2022. Furthermore, it will be using TSMC’s 5nm process and PCIe 5.0 standard. The next-generation PCIe standard is expected to double the bandwidth for better hyper-scalability beneficial for many purposes. It is unlikely we’ll see this being realistically adopted for mainstream and gaming-specific chipsets. This is more benefitted by servers, data centers, and supercomputers.. This will be benefitted by compute clusters with multiple scalar processors, AMD CDNA2 and perhaps Intel’s CXL interconnect. We’ll just have to wait for any more information.
This is in line with TSMC’s current development for 5nm. The Tawan-based manufacturer is mass producing the currently available fabrication process for AMD and Nvidia.
Source: My Drivers
