SK hynix has announced that it has developed working samples of DDR5 Multiplexer Combined Ranks (MCR) Dual In-line Memory Module, the world’s fastest server DRAM product, according to the semiconductor supplier, confirmed to operate at data rates of at least 8 Gbps, “80% faster than 4.8 Gbps of the existing DDR5 products.”
MCR DIMM is an achievement coming from out-of-the-box thinking with an aim to improve the operation speed of DDR5. Challenging the prevailing concept that the operation speed of DDR5 relies on that of DRAM chip itself, engineers sought to find a way to improve the speed of modules instead of chips for development of the latest product.
SK hynix designed the product in a way that enables simultaneous operation of two ranks by utilizing the data buffer installed onto the MCR DIMM based on Intel’s MCR technology.
By enabling simultaneous operation of two ranks, MCR DIMM allows transmission of 128 bytes of data to CPU at once, compared with 64 bytes fetched generally in conventional DRAM module. An increase in the amount of data sent to the CPU each time supports the data transfer rate of minimum 8Gbps, twice as fast as a single DRAM.
“SK hynix’s DRAM module-designing capabilities were met with Intel’s excellence in Xeon processor and Renesas’ buffer technology,” said Sungsoo Ryu, Head of DRAM Product Planning Sungsoo Ryu at SK hynix. “For a stable performance of MCR DIMM, smooth interactions between the data buffer and processor in and out of the module are essential.”
“SK hynix delivered another technological evolution for DDR5 by developing the world’s fastest MCR DIMM. Our efforts to find technological breakthroughs will continue as we seek to solidify our leadership in the server DRAM market.”
“The technology brought forward comes from years of collaborative research between Intel and key industry partners to produce significant increases in deliverable bandwidth for Intel Xeon processors,” added Dr. Dimitrios Ziakas, Vice President of Memory and IO Technologies at Intel. “We look forward to bringing this technology to future Intel Xeon processors and supporting standardization and multigenerational development efforts across the industry.”
SK hynix announced that it had developed the world’s first 238-layer 512 Gb TLC 4D NAND in July, which is expected to begin mass production in the first half of 2023.