Samsung, the world's biggest memory chip maker, has unveiled the industry's first 512GB CXL DRAM module for servers. CXL stands for Compute Express Link, and this new DRAM technology offers extremely high capacity at very low latency.
In May 2021, the South Korean firm became the first to introduce the CXL DRAM module prototype. Since then, Samsung has been working with data server and chip companies to standardize and improve the CXL DRAM standard. The new CXL module from Samsung is based on the ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) CXL controller. It offers four times the memory capacity and one-fifth system latency compared to the previous-generation CXL module.
Brands like Lenovo and Montage Technology are working with Samsung Semiconductor to integrate CXL DRAM modules into their systems. CXL offers much higher capacity than conventional DDR memory systems, and it is easier to scale and configure. It provides better performance in AI, big data, and metaverse workloads.
Samsung's new CXL module is the first to support the latest PCIe 5.0 interface. It comes in the EDSFF (E3.S) form factor, which is excellent for next-generation cloud and enterprise servers.
Later this month, the South Korean firm will release an updated version of its open-source SMDK (Scalable Memory Development Kit) that allows CXL to work seamlessly in heterogeneous memory systems. This will ensure that clients don't have to modify their existing setups to incorporate CXL DRAM modules.
Samsung will begin sampling its 512GB CXL DRAM module to customers and partners for joint evaluation in Q3 2022 to be ready for next-generation server platforms sometime next year.
Cheolmin Park, VP of Memory Global Sales & Marketing at Samsung Electronics, said, “CXL DRAM will become a critical turning point for future computing structures by substantially advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and big data services, as we aggressively expand its usage in next-generation memory architectures including software-defined memory (SDM). Samsung will continue to collaborate across the industry to develop and standardize CXL memory solutions, while fostering an increasingly solid ecosystem.“
