SK hynix outlines its plans for next-gen consumer and data-center memory technology
Source: SK hynix
SK hynix has outlined its long term DRAM and NAND plans at the SK AI Summit 2025, confirming that GDDR7-Next graphics memory and PCIe Gen7 SSDs are not expected to arrive before the 2029-2031 window. Th e roadmap covers both standard products and AI focused variants for HBM, conventional DRAM, and NAND.
2026-2028: HBM4, LPDDR6 and PCIe Gen6
For 2026-2028, the company is preparing HBM4 16-Hi stacks and HBM4E in 8, 12 and 16-Hi configurations, alongside a custom HBM4E design. Conventional DRAM for this period is led by LPDDR6, while the AI-D line targets AI workloads with LPDDR5X SOCAMM2, MRDIMM Gen2, LPDDR5R and second generation CXL LPDDR6-PIM. On the NAND side, SK hynix plans PCIe Gen5 eSSD up to 245 TB+ using QLC, PCIe Gen6 eSSD (Enterprise) and cSSD (Client), plus UFS 5.0 and early AI-N products.
2029-2031: HBM5/E, GDDR7 and PCIe Gen7
The 2029-2031 part of the roadmap is where GDDR7-Next appears. This generation sits above today’s GDDR7, which currently ships at 30-32 Gbps with a standard limit of 48 Gbps. The timing suggests that GPU vendors will stay on GDDR7 for several years before moving to a successor. SK hynix also places DDR6 and 3D DRAM in the same 2029-2031 window, indicating when mainstream PCs and servers may begin to transition beyond DDR5.
Source: SK hynix
HBM continues to evolve across both periods. After HBM4E and its custom variant, SK hynix plans standard HBM5 and HBM5E between 2029 and 2031, together with custom HBM5 and HBM5E parts. The custom designs move more logic, including controller and protocol IP, into the base die to free up GPU or ASIC die area and cut interface power, with TSMC listed as a partner for these base dies.
NAND also gets a new tier in the late 2020s. The roadmap lists PCIe Gen7 eSSD and cSSD, UFS 6.0 and 400+ layer 4D NAND for 2029-2031, plus AI-N P “Storage Next” and AI-N B based on High-Bandwidth Flash.
I guess my AM5 platform will still remain relatively ‘modern’ by this time.
Source: @harukaze5719
