Gradually, it seems that the DDR5 era will come to an end, and we’ll be seeing its replacement. A date for the introduction of DDR6 is beginning to emerge, and should be in 2027. Similarly, the DIMM format may also be seeing its last days, with the manufacturers seemingly banking on CAMM2.
DDR6 in CAMM2 format for 2027!
Little by little, we’re hearing more and more about CAMM2 memory, and that doesn’t seem to be by chance. In fact, the new DDR6 memory standard is gradually starting to show up, and this will free us from some of the technical constraints of the DIMM format. What’s more, this new memory standard should enable much higher frequencies. We’re talking about a basic 8800 MT/s, with kits reaching 17600 MT/s when the technology is mature. The key to such an increase in frequency is the 4×24-bit sub-channel architecture, compared with 2×32 bits for current memory. This helps provide a better signal integrity.
Of course, 2027 isn’t tomorrow, especially as we can anticipate a scenario similar to that of DDR5 in its early days. We can therefore expect RAM to be prohibitively expensive in the first few years of commercialization. In fact, it’s primarily the professional world that will benefit. As production ramps up and offers diversify, prices will be more affordable.
In the meantime, we’ll have to make do with DDR5, which, it has to be said, does the job very well… Especially as not everyone has yet made the transition to this standard. A not inconsiderable proportion of the world’s computer population is still running on DDR4. On the one hand, with AMD regularly proposing new AM4 CPUs, it has to be said that this doesn’t help… So much so that Samsung and SK Hynix have postponed the shutdown of their DDR4 production lines.