Micron Technology has introduced a new DDR3 memory module that it said will significantly increase the memory capacity of server motherboards.
The new load-reduced, dual-inline memory module (LRDIMM), announced on Thursday will be launched in a 16GB version later this year. It supports higher data rates and larger capacity than current modules by reducing the electrical load on the memory bus that large numbers of chips would normally present.
The new memory module will be particularly useful for large databases or large virtualized environments, according to Clive Longbottom, a service director at analyst firm Quocirca.
"People tend to think they can buy a server and hypervisor, and boom, they're running 50 instances of SAP," Longbottom said. "In fact, each instance of SAP requires its own CPU and memory capacity. While CPU power has gone through the roof in the last few years, memory has stayed fairly static."
The Micron LRDIMM means companies are no longer tied to the standard 2GB of memory per motherboard slot, Longbottom added. "At the moment, if you've got four slots, you might be able to add 8GB of memory, but the LRDIMM could add 16GB in a single card," he said.
Today, using registered dual-inline memory modules (RDIMMs), a typical server system can accommodate up to three quad-rank 16GB modules per processor. However, that same system can support up to nine quad-rank 16GB LRDIMMs per processor, pushing the memory capacity from 48GB to 144GB.
The new LRDIMM is based on Micron's 2GB DDR3 memory chips, and should be compatible with any DDR3 servers. The modules use Inphi's isolation memory buffer chip, which intercepts the data lines between the memory chips and the memory bus, reducing bus load when transferring data between the memory and processor. Micron said this reduces the load by 50 percent for a dual-rank module and by 75 percent for quad-load modules, compared with standard DDR3 server modules.
"Traditional RDIMMs limit the amount of memory that can be accommodated because of their leading profile, but LRDIMMs eliminate the problem by reducing the module load," said Robert Feurle, vice president of DRAM marketing at Micron, in a statement. "This is a more cost-effective and efficient means to scale server memory capacity and performance while reducing power levels."
Micron is currently sampling an 8GB LRDIMM with selected customers. Mass production of its 16GB LRDIMMs is expected to begin in 2010.
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