Munich (Germany) – Qimonda said it has shipped the industry’s first 512 Mb GDDR5 samples to customers.

Described as the next memory type for entertainment and gaming systems, Qimonda said that GDDR5 memory devices have left its fabs in sample volumes. The initial shipments consist of 512 Mb (16 Mb x 32) chips, with 1 Gb (32 Mb x 32) and 2 Gb versions (64 Mb x 32) expected to follow in 2008.

Compared to the currently predominant GDDR3 memory, GDDR5 promises about 3x the performance capability. Compared to GDDR4, the new generation is expected to bring smaller chips, lower consumption and a leap in performance, thanks to higher clock speeds. GDDR5 will offer a maximum data rate of 5 Gb/s per pin and combined data rates of up to 20 GB/s per component.

First GDDR5-equipped products are expected to debut in the second half of 2008.