DDR5 memory standard coming in 2018, offering twice the bandwith of DDR4 and greater power efficiency

Development of new NVDIMM-P also "progressing quickly"

The PC technology sector is set for another shake-up next year with the introduction of DDR5 memory standards in 2018, six years after the final standard for DDR4 memory was published. That's according to the microelectronics industry standards body JEDEC, the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council.

JEDEC suggests that the DDR5 memory standard will offer "double the bandwidth and density over DDR4" as well as "delivering improved channel efficiency".

Work on the standard, claimed JEDEC in a statement, is "moving forward rapidly" and will appear in 2018. However, while it may take a bit longer for products to appear on the market in volume.

In contrast, for example, the existing DDR4 standard was published in September 2012, with parts only beginning to appear in volume in 2014.

JEDEC also confirmed that work has started on a new memory chip standard.

Following on from SIMM and DIMM, the 'non-volatile' DIMM (NVDIMM-P) standard will apparently able to retain data when electrical power is shut-off due to crashes, shutdowns or sudden, unexpected power losses.

The official JEDEC line on NVDIMM is: "Hybrid DIMM technologies such as JEDEC NVDIMM-P will enable new memory solutions optimised for cost, power usage and performance.

"Adding to the existing NVDIMM-N JEDEC standards, NVDIMM-P will be a new high capacity persistent memory module for computing systems."

Mian Quddus, chariman of the JEDEC board of directors, summarised the new developments by citing demands for improved server performance.

"Increasing server performance requirements are driving the need for more advanced technologies, and the standardisation of next generation memory such as DDR5 and the new generation persistent modules NVDIMM-P, will be essential to fulfilling those needs," said Quddus.

JEDEC will reveal more details on both standards at its Server Forum event in Santa Clara, California on 19 June this year.

The developments in DDR5 memory and NVDIMM-P caps a number of significant advances in PC technology in recent years.

These include the introduction of virtual reality; the shift to 14nm and, soon, 10nm process technologies in semiconductor manufacture; and the release of Ryzen microprocessors by AMD, injecting much-needed competition into the market.

AMD and Nvidia, too, have released new GPU architectures that take advantage of 14nm semiconductor manufacturing, drastically ratcheting up the performance of the latest graphics cards.