SK Hynix releases 4 GB HBM2 memory running at 1,600 MHz

With the Fiji graphics circuit, AMD was the first to release high-bandwidth memory (HBM) technology in finished products. A limitation with the first generation HBM was that each capsule only had a capacity of 8 Gb (1 GB), which meant that graphics cards with Fiji, Radeon R9 Fury X, R9 Fury and R9 Nano, only got 4 GB of graphics memory. This is addressed with HBM2, which goes all the way up to 64 Gb (8 GB).

SK Hynix is ​​now adding HBM2 memory to its product portfolio (PDF). First out is a capsule with four 8 Gb (1 GB) circuits stacked on top of each other for a total of 4 GB of memory. This means that graphics circuits that use four capsules, such as Fiji, could be equipped with 16 GB of graphics memory.

Another novelty from the first generation HBM is that the clock frequency goes up from 500 MHz (1,000 MHz efficient) to 800 MHz (1,600 MHz efficient). Together with a memory bus of 1,024 bits, it provides a theoretical bandwidth of 204.8 GB / s, compared to 128 GB / s for HBM.

It is already known that AMD’s upcoming Vega will only be equipped with two capsules of HBM2 memory, which with SK Hynix’s latest addition would give a capacity of 8 GB and a bandwidth of 409.6 GB / s. Previous data has spoken of 512 GB / s, which would either mean that SK Hynix prepares memory capsules clocked at 1,000 MHz (2,000 MHz efficiently) or that AMD turns to another supplier.