SK Hynix develops world's fastest server DRAM sample

SK Hynix Inc., the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker, said on Thursday it has developed working samples of DDR5 multiplexer combined ranks dual in-line memory module (MCR DDIM), the world's fastest server DRAM product. The new product is 80% faster than the 4.8 gigabits per second (Gbps) of existing DDR5, SK Hynix said.

DDR stands for double data rate, which is a DRAM standard used for servers and client applications. In October, SK Hynix announced it has developed the fifth generation of 32-gigabyte DDR memory modules and sent samples to its customers.

The MCR DIMM is a module product with multiple DRAM chips attached to the board and improved speed as two ranks simultaneously. Rank is a collection of transfer units of data sent from the DRAM module to the central processing unit (CPU).

SK Hynix uses a data buffer, which optimizes signal transmission between the DRAM and CPU, to operate the two ranks of work at the same time. As a result, MCR DIMM enables the transmission of 128 bytes of data to the CPU at once, compared with 64 bytes of data from conventional DRAM modules.

The increased amount of data for each transmission allows 8 Gbps or higher, nearly double the single DRAM speed, SK Hynix said.

The Korean chipmaker said it has achieved such product development through technology partnerships with US chipmaking giant Intel Corp. and Japan’s Renesas Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

The DRAM module capabilities were converged with Intel’s microprocessor and Renesas’ buffer technology that enable excellent interactions between the data buffer and the server’s CPU, said SK Hynix DRAM product planning head Ryu Sung-soo.

Write to Sungsu Bae at baebae@hankyung.com
Jihyun Kim edited this article.