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Setting up a new TDM system, a new MAC PRO and an Icon D worksurface. I am wondering what, if anything max RAM (32G would provide?

Tons of RAM!! You can run multiple virtual synths. The amount of RTAS plugins you can run at one time is endless. Basically your system will be unstoppable. Especially if you use TDM plugins which work off their own card instead of the computer processor. If you are going all out with RAM get the 8 core version of the MAC PRO with 3.0 GHZ or 3.2 GHZ processing speed. You will be very happy with the overall performance of Pro Tools!!!
Enjoy!

If you are going to use a lot of RTAS Virtual Instruments like samplers, then a lot of RAM is useful. RTAS plug-ins on a TDM system use more voices and create more delay than using RTAS on a Native system, therfore I avoid using RTAS plug-ins unless there is not a TDM version of the plug-in or another similar plug-in with a TDM version.

I have 9GB of RAM on my HD system and use a lot of sampling, however I usually run out of power (voices, DSP, processing power) before RAM. In addition, adding more RAM is typically a process of diminishing returns, the more you have the more it actually taxes the system to track all the addresses, etc.

In my opinion 8 GB is a great place to start, 8-12GB will handle above average tasks, 12-16GB would handle almost anything you throw at it, and 16GB + to me is overkill for an audio rig (although one could make a case for it, I just think it would be rare).