Samsung has recently announced its new HBM3E (High Bandwidth Memory 3 Extended) DRAM product, called Shinebolt, at its annual Memory Tech Day event. Shinebolt is a breakthrough in-memory technology that offers unprecedented speed, capacity, and efficiency for high-end processors and GPUs. In this article, we will answer some of the most common questions about Shinebolt and its applications.
Contents
What is HBM3E and Why is It Important for High-Performance Computing?
HBM3E is the latest version of the HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) technology, which is a type of memory that stacks multiple DRAM dies vertically using through-silicon vias (TSVs) and microbumps to create a single package that can be integrated with a processor or a GPU.
This allows for a very wide memory interface (up to 1024-bit) and a very high memory bandwidth (up to 1.2 TB/s per stack) compared to conventional memory technologies such as GDDR and DDR.
HBM3E is an extension of the previous HBM3 standard, which was introduced in 2020. HBM3E offers several improvements over HBM3, such as higher capacity, higher speed, lower power consumption, and better thermal characteristics.
These features make HBM3E ideal for applications that require massive amounts of data processing and transfer, such as artificial intelligence, data centres, gaming, and graphics.
Anand Tech shared a post on Twitter:
Samsung Announces ‘Shinebolt’ HBM3E Memory: HBM Hits 36GB Stacks at 9.8 Gbpshttps://t.co/KQ34MEApoC pic.twitter.com/uSZ45wbhS2
— AnandTech (@anandtech) October 20, 2023
How Does Samsung’s Shinebolt Compare to Other HBM3E Products in the Market?
Samsung is not the first company to launch HBM3E products. Its rivals SK Hynix and Micron have already released their HMB3E products to partners earlier this year. However, Samsung claims that its Shinebolt HBM3E memory sets new benchmarks for performance and efficiency in the industry.
The basis of Shinebolt is a new 24Gbit HBM memory die, which Samsung produces on its D1a process, the company’s EUV-based 4th generation 10nm-class (14nm) node. Samsung can produce both 8Hi and 12Hi stacks based on this new die, allowing for total stack capacities of 24GB and 36GB respectively, 50% more capacity than their HBM3 (Icebolt) equivalents.
Samsung also says that Shinebolt can achieve memory clock speeds as high as 9.8Gbps/pin, better than 50% faster than their HBM3 products. This means that a single Shinebolt stack can deliver up to 1.225TB/s of bandwidth, while a six-stack configuration can reach up to 7.35TB/s of aggregate bandwidth.
These numbers are higher than what SK Hynix and Micron have announced for their HBM3E products, which can hit up to 9Gbps/pin and 9.2Gbps/pin respectively.
Samsung attributes these impressive results to its optimized non-conductive film (NCF) technology, which eliminates gaps between chip layers and improves thermal conductivity. Samsung also says that Shinebolt has lower power consumption and better reliability than previous generations of HBM.
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When Will Samsung’s Shinebolt Be Available and What Are Its Potential Applications?
Samsung has already started mass production of Shinebolt and has begun shipping samples to customers. The company expects that the first batch of products that will use Shinebolt will be aimed at speeding up AI-model training in data centres.
However, Shinebolt is not limited to data center applications. Samsung also envisions that Shinebolt will be used for high-performance computing (HPC), graphics processing units (GPUs), network processing units (NPUs), and gaming consoles in the near future.
Samsung also revealed that it is working on the next generation of HBM technology, called HBM4, which will offer even higher performance and efficiency than HBM3E. Samsung did not disclose any details about HBM4 but said that it will be ready by 2025.
Conclusion
Samsung’s announcement of Shinebolt HBM3E memory is a significant milestone for the development of high-bandwidth memory technology. Shinebolt offers unprecedented levels of speed, capacity, and efficiency for high-end processors and GPUs that need to handle massive amounts of data.
Shinebolt also demonstrates Samsung’s leadership and innovation in the memory industry, as well as its commitment to meeting the evolving needs of its customers. I hope you liked the article I wrote for you. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please let me know.
