Micron bolts ahead of Hynix and Samsung in HBM.
Micron Unveils HBM3 Gen2 Memory: 1.2 TB/sec Memory Stacks For HPC and AI Processors
by Anton Shilov on July 26, 2023 9:00 AM EST
Micron today is introducing its first HBM3 memory products, becoming the latest of the major memory manufacturers to start building the high bandwidth memory that's widely used in server-grade GPUs and other high-end processors. Aiming to make up for lost time against its Korean rivals, Micron intends to essentially skip "vanilla" HBM3 and move straight on to even higher bandwidth versions of the memory they're dubbing "HBM3 Gen2", developing 24 GB stacks that run at over 9 GigaTransfers-per-second. These new HBM3 memory stacks from Micron will target primarily AI and HPC datacenter, with mass production kicking off for Micron in early 2024.
Micron's 24 GB HBM3 Gen2 modules are based on stacking eight 24Gbit memory dies made using the company's 1ß (1-beta) fabrication process. Notably, Micron is the first of the memory vendors to announce plans to build HBM3 memory with these higher-density dies, while SK hynix offers their own 24 GB stacks, the company is using a 12-Hi configuration of 16Gbit dies. So Micron is on track to be the first vendor to offer 24 GB HBM3 modules in the more typical 8-Hi configuration. And Micron is not going to stop at 8-Hi 24Gbit-based HBM3 Gen2 modules, either, with the company saying that they plan to introduce even higher capacity class-leading 36 GB 12-Hi HBM3 Gen2 stacks next year.
Besides taking the lead in density, Micron is also looking to take a lead in speed. The company expects its HBM3 Gen2 parts to hit date rates as high as 9.2 GT/second, 44% higher than the top speed grade of the base HBM3 specification, and 15% faster than the 8 GT/second target for SK hynix's rival HBM3E memory. The increased data transfer rate enables each 24 GB memory module to offer peak bandwidth of 1.2 TB/sec per stack.
continues at anandtech.com |
