DDR5 memory is on its way, twice as fast as DDR4

Development of specifications for the new DDR5 DRAM has started, and it will be finalized next year, JEDEC, a memory standards-setting organization, said on Thursday.

DDR5 will succeed the current DDR4 memory, which is used in PCs and servers. DDR5 will be two times faster than DDR4 and also more power efficient.

DDR5 will also have double the density of DDR4. Typical DDR5 DIMMs will have twice the gigabyte capacity of DDR4 DIMMs.

Analysts didn't expect DDR5 to be developed; instead, they thought the line for DDR DRAM would end at DDR4. But PC and server designs haven't changed much in recent years, and there could be an appetite for DDR5.

It's not certain when memory makers will release DDR5 memory. But like DDR4, DDR5 may first make it into servers and high-end gaming PCs and then to laptops.

A low-power form of DDR5 could make it available for mobile devices. Samsung's latest Galaxy S8 smartphones have LPDDR4 memory.

Chip and motherboard makers will also have to build in support for the new DDR5 memory, and that process could take longer than a year after the specification is released.

:story: PCWorld