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MemoryReading · ~3 min · 36 words deep

DDR5

DDR5 is a memory technology used in AI accelerators.

DDR5 spec page
TL;DR

DDR5 is a memory technology used in AI accelerators.

Live · bandwidth comparison
Full memory page
Level 1

DDR5 (DDR5) delivers ? GB/s per stack with ? GB capacity. Primary manufacturers: multiple vendors. Used in: AI accelerators.

Level 2

DDR5 is a memory technology for AI and HPC workloads. Per-stack bandwidth is ? GB/s with ? GB capacity. Main manufacturers include the major memory vendors. Released around recently. Used in a range of AI accelerators.

Level 3

DDR5 provides n/a GB/s per stack at n/a GB capacity. Commercial yield varies by manufacturer: SK Hynix, Samsung, Micron. Supply allocation follows long-term agreements with major GPU and accelerator vendors. Memory bandwidth is the dominant constraint for LLM inference: arithmetic intensity of transformer attention layers means memory-bound kernels gate throughput on all current accelerators.

The takeaway for you
If you are a
Researcher
  • ·DDR5: ? GB/s per stack, ? GB capacity
  • ·Made by SK Hynix, Samsung, Micron
  • ·Used in modern AI chips
If you are a
Builder
  • ·More bandwidth = faster LLM inference on memory-bound workloads
  • ·Chips with newer memory (DDR5) hit better throughput per dollar
  • ·Check which chips use DDR5 on /memory/ddr5
If you are a
Investor
  • ·DDR5 supply is tightly allocated · drives chip pricing power
  • ·SK Hynix / Samsung capture most of the margin
  • ·Watch memory shortage news as a leading indicator of GPU pricing
If you are a
Curious · Normie
  • ·DDR5 is ultra-fast memory for AI chips
  • ·Without it, models can't feed data to the GPU fast enough
  • ·Limited supply is part of why AI hardware is expensive
Gecko's take

DDR5 supply allocation is the hidden variable behind every GPU shortage. When SK Hynix sneezes, NVIDIA catches cold.

DDR5 is a high-bandwidth memory technology used in AI accelerators.