Inphi Samples JEDEC-Compliant Isolation Memory Buffer for High-Performance Data Centers and Cloud Computing

“Intel collaborates with ecosystem leaders to enable the best performance on Intel® architecture,” said Boyd Davis, Vice President, Intel Architecture Group and General Manager, Data Center Group Marketing, Intel Corporation. “Inphi’s JEDEC-compliant memory buffer, the iMB 02-GS02, will augment Intel® server processors by offering our customers greater memory capacity to address growing memory density issues while keeping additional power consumption at a minimum.”

“Micron’s DDR3 load-reduced DIMMs (LRDIMMs) enable servers to increase memory capacity while also increasing system performance,” said Robert Feurle, Vice President of DRAM marketing at Micron. “Micron’s collaboration with Inphi on their new JEDEC-compliant iMB02-GS02 Memory Buffer enables us to provide server customers with unprecedented high-density memory options.”

“Our new memory buffer is designed to facilitate high-memory capacity on next-generation DDR3 servers designed for virtualization, cloud computing and other high-capacity applications,” said Young K. Sohn, President and CEO of Inphi. “As an active participant in the JEDEC standards body that drove the memory specifications, Inphi understands the importance of using standards to help ensure compatibility and interoperability.”

Fully compliant with the proposed Memory Buffer specification as defined by JEDEC, the iMB 02-GS02 is compatible with the current generation of DDR3-based server systems and helps to facilitate a transition to higher capacity DIMM, called Load-Reduced DIMM. The iMB 02-GS02 is important to memory subsystem operation at 1600 MT/s while maintaining favorable power consumption.

Unlike traditional registered DIMMs that limit the amount of server memory that can be installed due to their loading profile, LRDIMMs replace the register with an isolation memory buffer which reduces the load. The new scheme enables more ranks of dynamic RAM (DRAM) to be populated on the memory module and more modules to be used in a system. Adoption of the iMB allows up to four times the memory capacity to be installed in a server platform, resulting in increases to server bandwidth as well.