Micron improves server memory and performance

MICRON HAS PRODUCED the industry's first DDR3 load-reduced, dual-inline memory module (LRDIMM) and will begin sampling 16GB versions this autumn.

The technology reduces load on the server memory bus and provides the option to support higher data frequencies and significantly increase memory capacity.

The new LRDIMMs will be manufactured using Micron's 1.35V 2Gb 50nm DDR3 memory chips, allowing the company to easily and cost-effectively increase server module capacity because of the chips' high-density and industry-leading small die size.

Micron's 2Gb 50nm DDR3 product is currently being tested by customers and is ramping toward high volume production. Most midrange enterprise servers use 32GB of DRAM per system but this is expected to more than triple by 2012.

With server manufacturers using multi-core processors and data centres opting for efficient virtualization technology, memory requirements are getting out of control.

Micron' traditionally used an isolation memory buffer chip in place of a register to reduce the bus load when transferring data between the memory and processor.

The new LRDIMMs reduce this load by 50 per cent for a dual-rank module and 75 per cent for a quad-rank module, when compared to today's standard DDR3 server modules' registered DIMMs (RDIMMs).

By reducing the load on the bus, Micron's LRDIMMs enable servers to handle higher frequencies to improve overall system performance and support increased numbers of modules for greater system memory capacity.

All good stuff if it works. No word on price yet. µ