The evolution of RAM is always ongoing; with DDR5 currently being adopted by the mainstream community, we look forward to the next iteration and just what DDR6 RAM can bring.

DDR6 will come with faster speeds and use MSAP technologies, but what does that mean, and how long do we expect DDR5 to be in the spotlight? Here's what we know so far, including when we expect DDR6 to be released, what speeds are anticipated, and what will be required to run DDR6 RAM.

When Is DDR6 Coming?

As of February 2023, DDR6 is confirmed to be in development, with Samsung announcing at its Tech Day that DDR6 is expected to arrive as modules for commercial use in 2025. With this in mind, this assures a fairly long lifecycle for DDR5 especially considering DDR6 will need to be integrated into RAM sticks before it can be used on a consumer level.

Remember that one of the reasons to upgrade your motherboard is so you can use DDR5 RAM.

What Can We Expect From DDR6 RAM?

Once DDR6 RAM is available to buy, what kind of performance will you get from it?

DDR6 Speeds

As DDR RAM moves up through iterations, the usual trend is with each version, the speeds double. DDR5 operates at max data speeds of 51.2 Gigabytes per second across two channels per module, however, the speeds for JEDEC modules are 6,400MBps with faster modules released throughout the DDR5 lifecycle.

DDR6 is expected to debut with max data rates achieving speeds of 12,800MBps on JEDEC modules and 17,000MBps using overclocking. These speeds are expected to increase over the DDR6 lifecycle. Don't forget that DDR is only one of the terms you need to know about RAM, by the way.

New Technology: MSAP

The Samsung DDR6 announcement also included a statement about the inclusion of MSAP technology in DDR6 RAM modules. MSAP stands for Modified Semi Additive Process and is already in use in some brands of DDR5 RAM. MSAP allows manufacturers to create modules with finer circuits allowing for faster speeds by coating empty spaces allowing faster transfers and better connectivity between circuits.

DDR6 Is the Future: When It Arrives

It's still the early days for DDR6, as we're at least a year away from it being finalized and will need to wait two years before commercial release. However, when DDR6 does arrive, we can look forward to experiencing speeds that are double the current standard. And in Samsung's case, there's the new MSAP technology as well.

You will need to upgrade your motherboard to support the new DDR iteration but for now DDR5 still has a good lifecycle.