Lower power FBDIMMs

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This is a wee bit more technical than I usually cover, but given that memory in these monster core machines that we are building these takes takes more and more power, it seems worth mentioning.

Memory and storage company SMART Modular Technologies announced today that they have a crop of new fully buffered DIMMs up to 4 GB for server and HPC applications. From their release

Utilizing the industry’s lowest power 1.5V DRAMs and advanced memory buffers (AMBs), SMART’s new modules achieve an average of 20 percent power savings compared to modules using standard 1.8V DRAMs and AMBs. Reducing power consumption in servers is now a top priority for OEM system designers because improving server efficiency helps reduce power consumption and minimize thermal issues that can degrade system reliability and data integrity.

I’m sure many of you know more about the memory market than I do. What’s the verdict — is this a significant development, or another “me too” offering?

Comments

  1. The lower the power, the more soft errors due to high energy particles. ECC cannot correct multi-bits error, so trading power for reliability is a tough move.

  2. Patrick – that is fascinating. Is there a curve that shows errors vs. power?