Samsung shows off its 256gb rim memory
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Samsung has shown its first 256GB memory module for upcoming servers. The new RDIMM- registered module is based on Samsung's 16Gb DDR4 memory devices, introduced earlier this year, and takes advantage of the company's 3DS (three-dimensional stacking) packaging.
New 256GB Samsung RDIMM memory modules
The new module will offer higher performance and lower power consumption than the two 128GB LRDIMMs in use today. Samsung's 256GB DDR4 Registered DIMM with ECC carries 36 memory packets with 8GB (64Gbit) capacity each, along with IDT's 4RCD0229K registration chip, to store address and command signals and increase the number of ranges supported by a memory channel. The packages are based on four 16Gb single-die components, which are interconnected by silicon pathways (TSVs). Architecturally, the 256GB module is octally rated as it has two physical ranges and four logical ranges.
We recommend reading our post on GDDR5 vs GDDR6: Differences between memories
It is very interesting to note that these new DIMMs are Registered DIMMs (RDIMMs) and not Low Load DIMMs (LRDIMMs). LRDIMMs are typically required for high-capacity configurations, with these style DIMMs relying on an additional buffer that impairs power consumption and latency compared to RDIMMs.
Upcoming Intel Xeon Cascade Lake processors appear to support up to 3.84TB of memory in all 12 DIMM slots, so by installing 12 x 256GB RDIMMs, a dual socket server could get 6TB of memory. AMD's existing EPYC processors officially support up to 128GB of LRDIMM memory modules and up to 2TB of total memory, which is logical since AMD has not yet validated 256GB RDIMM. If AMD considers 256GB RDIMMs to be viable for your platform, you can support them by tweaking the microcode of your existing EPYC processors, or simply validating them with your upcoming 7nm EPYC "Rome" CPUs.
Samsung did not disclose the precise specifications of its 256GB RDIMM, but does not expect its frequency to be significantly higher than the currently common DDR4-2400 and DDR4-2667 speeds.
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