JEDEC publishes the GDDR5X memory standard, promises 10-14Gbps bandwidth

JEDEC announces the publication of the GDDR5X memory standard, a new specification for graphics memory that will likely be used by upcoming mid-end and high-end graphics cards from AMD and NVIDIA. GDDR5X will not be as fast as HBM2, but promises to be a more cost-effective alternative. GDDR5X is derived from the GDDR5 standard and promises bandwidth of 10Gbps to 14Gbps, twice as much as GDDR5.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of JESD232 Graphics Double Data Rate (GDDR5X) SGRAM. Available for free download from the JEDEC website, the new memory standard is designed to satisfy the increasing need for more memory bandwidth in graphics, gaming, compute, and networking applications.

Derived from the widely adopted GDDR5 SGRAM JEDEC standard, GDDR5X specifies key elements related to the design and operability of memory chips for applications requiring very high memory bandwidth. With the intent to address the needs of high-performance applications demanding ever higher data rates, GDDR5X is targeting data rates of 10 to 14 Gb/s, a 2X increase over GDDR5. In order to allow a smooth transition from GDDR5, GDDR5X utilizes the same, proven pseudo open drain (POD) signaling as GDDR5.

“GDDR5X represents a significant leap forward for high end GPU design,” said Mian Quddus, JEDEC Board of Directors Chairman. “Its performance improvements over the prior standard will help enable the next generation of graphics and other high-performance applications.”