SK Hynix, Intel Develop MCR DIMM: DDR5-8000+ for High-Capacity Modules

When it comes to memory modules, there is usually a trade-off between performance and capacity. But the new MCR DIMM concept introduced by SK hynix and Intel on Thursday promises to combine extreme performance and capacity. The memory maker promises that his MCR DIMMs will enable data transfer speeds in excess of 8000 MT/s while offering unprecedented capacities.

SK hynix’s Multiplexer Combined Ranks (MCR) DIMMs are dual-rank memory modules that use a special buffer to allow both ranks to function simultaneously. Usually a module with 2 physical ranks he acts like one module, so if the host CPU (or memory controller) fetches data from such a module, it can only fetch 64 bytes of data at a time . However, buffers developed by SK hynix, Intel, and Renesas allow two physical ranks to work in parallel like two modules, so retrieving 128 bytes of data simultaneously from both ranks reduces the performance to 2. double.

The magic of MCR technology is that both physical ranks (memory chips) of a dual-rank module continue to run more or less at the “standard” clock. This simplifies the construction of high-capacity modules. Meanwhile, it is the Renesas multiplexer buffer that fetches 128 bytes of data from two modules and runs at over 8000 MT/s data transfer rate with the host CPU memory controller, simplifying the construction of high speed modules.