Up to 96 GB memory on the graphics card with Samsung’s new HBM2E

The High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) technology was launched in 2015 with the promise of sky-high performance and better energy efficiency than standard GDDR graphics memory. Despite this, the impact has been limited, due to high prices and not least that the first circuits initially had low capacities.

The successor to HBM was named HBM2, which is being followed by what is called High-Bandwidth Memory 2 Enhanced (HBM2E). For this, the big news is above all higher efficient clock frequency for more bandwidth, features that memory manufacturers are also looking to combine with larger capacities.

Samsung is now announcing its variant of HBM2E, which triples capacity per capsule compared to the company’s HBM2 memory. Each capsule thus offers 24 GB, which makes it possible to produce graphics cards with as much as 96 GB of memory. This up from 8 GB per capsule with HBM2.

The company is made possible by Samsung doubling the capacity per circuit (16 Gb) compared to HBM2 (8 Gb). At the same time, 12 of these are stacked on top of each other, up from the previous 8. The circuits are connected through more than 60,000 holes, a technology called Through-Silicon Via (TSV), which is then filled with metal to create vertical conduits for communication.

At the same time, each circuit is thinner than before, which results in Samsung’s new HBM2E retaining the same thickness of 720 micrometers as the company’s HBM2. This is important as it enables Samsung’s existing HBM2 customers to easily switch to HBM2E without having to redesign their current circuit designs.

Samsung does not go into any details regarding speeds for the new memory, but the HBM2E standard allows up to 1,200 MHz (2,400 MHz efficient). Together with a memory channel of 1,024 bits, it provides a bandwidth of 307 GB / s, while four memory capsules over 4,096 bits provide just over 1,228 GB / s.

Samsung’s HBM2E of 24 GB will go into production soon. When and if the memory actually finds its way into products is not yet known.

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