Micron MRDIMM Samples: +39% Bandwidth, -40% Latency

Micron, a leading memory manufacturer, has announced the sampling of its Multiplexed Rank Dual Inline Memory Module (MRDIMM). This new technology enables customers to meet increasingly demanding workloads, maximizing the value of their computing infrastructure.

Micron Technology reports that for applications requiring over 128GB per DIMM slot, the performance of Micron MRDIMM surpasses current TSV (Through-Silicon Via) RDIMMs. MRDIMM delivers higher bandwidth, larger capacity, lower latency, and superior performance per watt, accelerating memory-intensive operations such as virtualization, high-performance computing (HPC), and AI data centers. The current samples are the first generation of Micron's MRDIMM series and are compatible with Intel Xeon 6 processors.

MRDIMM technology utilizes DDR5's physical and electrical standards, offering advanced memory solutions with increased bandwidth and capacity per core. This technology prepares future computing systems to meet the growing demands of data center workloads. Compared to RDIMMs, MRDIMMs offer up to 39% increased effective memory bandwidth, over 15% improved bus efficiency, and up to 40% reduced latency.

Furthermore, MRDIMMs support capacities ranging from 32GB to 256GB, available in both standard and tall form factor (TFF) sizes, suitable for 1U and 2U high-performance servers. The TFF modules feature advanced thermal designs, reducing DRAM temperatures by up to 20°C under the same power and airflow conditions. This enhancement improves cooling efficiency in data centers and optimizes overall system energy consumption for memory-intensive workloads.

Micron's state-of-the-art memory design uses 32Gb DRAM process technology, allowing 256GB TFF MRDIMMs to operate with the same power consumption as 128GB TFF MRDIMMs using 16Gb process technology. At the highest data transfer rates, the performance of a 256GB TFF MRDIMM is 35% greater than a TSV RDIMM of the same capacity. Adopting 256GB TFF MRDIMMs offers data centers unprecedented total cost of ownership (TCO) advantages over traditional TSV RDIMMs.

Praveen Vaidyanathan, Vice President and General Manager of the Compute Products Group at Micron, stated that the innovative MRDIMM solution provides the high bandwidth and large capacity the industry urgently needs, with lower latency. This advancement supports large-scale AI inference and HPC applications on next-generation server platforms. Matt Langman, Vice President and General Manager of Xeon 6 Data Center Product Management at Intel, highlighted that MRDIMM, utilizing DDR5 interfaces and technology, seamlessly integrates with existing Xeon 6 CPU platforms, offering customers flexible options. MRDIMM provides higher bandwidth, lower latency, and various capacity choices, making it ideal for HPC, AI, and other heavy workloads, all of which can continue running on Xeon 6 CPU platforms supporting standard DIMMs.

Micron MRDIMMs are now available and will enter mass production in the second half of 2024.