Samsung is making strides in the development of DDR7 RAM, aiming to capitalize on the growing demand for AI technology. After acknowledging its loss of ground to competitors, the company announced a 24GB GDDR7 DRAM chip with speeds of 40Gbps or higher on Thursday.

“We are committed to leading the graphics DRAM market by providing next-generation products that meet the evolving needs of the AI industry,” said YongCheol Bae, Samsung’s EVP of Memory Product Planning.

Unlike standard computer RAM, DRAM is primarily used in gaming hardware, graphics cards, and autonomous driving systems. GDDR7, which stands for graphics double data rate, is specifically designed for use in GPUs. While most high-end consumer PCs currently use DDR4 or DDR5 RAM, DDR6 is not yet widely available. Samsung’s 24GB chip is targeted towards data centers and AI applications, making it unlikely to be used in mainstream PC builds. However, it could potentially be used in next-generation graphics cards, which are crucial for AI training and operations. According to chipmaker Nvidia, GPUs are more efficient for technical calculations due to their parallel processing, scaling abilities, and deep software stack.

Samsung previously announced a 16GB GDDR7 DRAM in July 2020, and the new 24GB version is even more powerful and energy-efficient. The company plans to begin production of the 24GB DRAM in early 2022. The new DRAM incorporates technology from mobile devices to improve energy efficiency, such as clock control management and dual VDD design, which can reduce energy consumption by 30%. Clock control management controls the timing of the chips, while dual VDD allows for different voltage levels.

As the demand for AI technology continues to grow, energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important. While companies are making efforts to reduce energy consumption, it remains a challenge. Tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are even turning to nuclear power to meet the energy demands of AI.

In summary, Samsung is making progress in the development of DDR7 RAM and has announced a 24GB GDDR7 DRAM chip with speeds of 40Gbps or higher. The company plans to begin production in early 2022 and is targeting data centers and AI applications. The new DRAM is more energy-efficient and incorporates technology from mobile devices. However, energy consumption remains a challenge for the AI industry.