First DDR5 memory modules are out now but you can't buy them

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Micron announced at CES 2020 that it has begun sampling its new DDR5 SDRAM to enable datacenters to deliver an 85 percent increase in memory performance.

The new DDR5 offers more than twice the data rate of the previous DDR4 standard, while using less power, improved voltage margins, reduced BOM costs, as well as better support larger monolithic devices with high RAM specifications.

At present, compute-intensive applications have fuelled process core count growth but remain limited by existing DRAM hardware.

Improving performance

Using its 1znm process technology, Micron expects its new DDR5 SDRAM to open up big improvements to in bandwidth and performance for business servers.

“Data centre workloads will be increasingly challenged to extract value from the accelerating growth of data across virtually all applications,” said Tom Eby, senior vice president and general manager of the Compute & Networking Business Unit at Micron. 

“The key to enabling these workloads is higher-performance, denser, higher-quality memory. Micron’s sampling of DDR5 RDIMMs represents a significant milestone, bringing the industry one step closer to unlocking the value in next-generation data-centric applications.”

Micron boasts over 40 years of industry experience, and offers a broad range of high performance memory and storage products, such as NAND, 3D XPoint memory, and NOR, which are used across the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning, 5G, and autonomous vehicles.

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Brian Turner

Brian has over 30 years publishing experience as a writer and editor across a range of computing, technology, and marketing titles. He has been interviewed multiple times for the BBC and been a speaker at international conferences. His specialty on techradar is Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, covering everything from office suites to IT service tools. He is also a science fiction and fantasy author, published as Brian G Turner.

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