Reinventing Memory Technology
Low power consumption, ultra-wide communication and a revolutionary stacked configuration.
Infographic: Introducing HBM
HBM’s vertical stacking and fast information transfer open the door for truly exciting performance in innovative form factors. And GPU applications are just the start – look for HBM’s superior power efficiency and space savings to spark industry-wide innovation.
Revolutionary HBM breaks the processing bottleneck
HBM is a new type of CPU/GPU memory (“RAM”) that vertically stacks memory chips, like floors in a skyscraper. In doing so, it shortens your information commute. Those towers connect to the CPU or GPU through an ultra-fast interconnect called the “interposer.” Several stacks of HBM are plugged into the interposer alongside a CPU or GPU, and that assembled module connects to a circuit board.
Though these HBM stacks are not physically integrated with the CPU or GPU, they are so closely and quickly connected via the interposer that HBM’s characteristics are nearly indistinguishable from on-chip integrated RAM.
GDDR5 has served the industry well these past seven years, and many gigabytes of this memory technology are used on virtually every high-performance graphics card to date.
But as graphics chips grow faster, their appetite for fast delivery of information (“bandwidth”) continues to increase. GDDR5’s ability to satisfy those bandwidth demands is beginning to wane as the technology reaches the limits of its specification. Each additional gigabyte per second of bandwidth is beginning to consume too much power to be a wise, efficient, or cost-effective decision for designers or consumers. Taken to its logical conclusion, GDDR5 could easily begin to stall the continued performance growth of graphics chips. HBM resets the clock on memory power efficiency, offering >3X the bandwidth per watt of GDDR5.1
Smaller Form Factors
Beyond performance and power efficiency, HBM is also revolutionary in its ability to save space on a product. As gamers increasingly expect smaller and more powerful PCs, the elimination of bulky GDDR5 chips in favor of HBM can enable devices with exciting new form factors that pack a punch in a smaller size. Compared to GDDR5, HBM can fit the same amount of memory in 94% less space!2
A legacy of enabling industry-wide innovation
AMD has a long history of pioneering innovations, spawning industry standards and spurring the entire industry to push the boundaries of what is possible. HBM is just the most recent in an impressive list that spans CPUs, graphics, servers, and more:
- X86-64: The 64-bit version of the x86 instruction set found in all modern x86 CPUs
- Wake-On-LAN: Co-invented w/ HP, this revolutionary computer networking standard enables remote computer wake-up
- GDDR and now HBM: Pervasive industry standards for high-performance memory, invented by AMD with contributions from the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) and industry partners
- The first multi-core x86 processor: AMD’s Opteron™ 100 Series CPU was famously the first to bring multi-core computing to the PC space
- DisplayPort™ Adaptive-Sync: Implemented by AMD as FreeSync™ technology, this VESA-ratified AMD proposal eliminates stutter for smoother gameplay
- First on-die memory controller for x86: AMD’s “Hammer” architecture was first to integrate a memory controller onto consumer CPUs for peak performance
- Mantle: The first low-overhead PC graphics API, sparking a revolution that now spans the entire PC graphics industry
- First on-die GPU: AMD’s Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) were the first to explore the integration of a GPU with the CPU, eliminating the need for a bulky external GPU for compact or inexpensive PCs
With HBM, AMD is set to once again revolutionize the industry, from next-level gaming to VR and beyond.
© 2015 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, FreeSync, Opteron and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other product names used in this publication are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies.
- Testing conducted by AMD engineering on the AMD Radeon™ R9 290X GPU vs. an HBM-based device. Data obtained through isolated direct measurement of GDDR5 and HBM power delivery rails at full memory utilization. Power efficiency calculated as GB/s of bandwidth delivered per watt of power consumed. AMD Radeon™ R9 290X (10.66 GB/s bandwidth per watt) and HBM-based device (35+ GB/s bandwidth per watt), AMD FX-8350, Gigabyte GA-990FX-UD5, 8GB DDR3-1866, Windows 8.1 x64 Professional, AMD Catalyst™ 15.20 Beta. HBM-1
- Measurements conducted by AMD Engineering on 1GB GDDR5 (4x256MB ICs) @ 672mm2 vs. 1GB HBM (1x4-Hi) @ 35mm2. HBM-2