Samsung and Micron today announced the creation of a consortium for OEMs, enablers and integrators that will collaborate in developing and implementing an open interface specification for a new memory technology called the Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC).
Micron and Samsung are the founding members of the Hybrid Memory Cube
Consortium (HMCC), and will work closely with developers Altera Corporation,
Open Silicon, Inc., and Xilinx, Inc. to collectively accelerate industry
efforts in bringing to market a broad set of technologies. The consortium
will initially define a specification to enable applications ranging from
large-scale networking to industrial products and high-performance
computing.
One of the primary challenges facing the industry - and a key motivation for
forming the HMCC - is that the memory bandwidth required by high-performance
computers and next-generation networking equipment has increased beyond what
conventional memory architectures can provide. The term "memory wall" has
been used to describe the problem. Breaking through the memory wall requires
a new architecture that can provide increased density and bandwidth at
significantly reduced power consumption.
Hybrid Memory Cube is a new DRAM memory architecture that combines
high-speed logic process technology with a stack of through-silicon-via
(TSV) bonded memory die. According to the consortium, it offers dramatic
improvements in performance, breaking through the memory wall and enabling
performance and bandwidth improvements - a single HMC can provide more than
15x the performance of a DDR3 module. The architecture of HMC is
exponentially more efficient than current memory, utilizing 70% less energy
per bit than DDR3 DRAM technologies. Hybrid Memory Cube's increased density
per bit and reduced form factor contribute to lower total cost of ownership,
by allowing more memory into each machine and using nearly 90% less space
than today's RDIMMs.
"This collaborative industry effort will serve as an accelerator for highly
promising technology that will benefit the entire industry," said Jim
Elliott, Vice President, Memory Marketing and Product Planning, Samsung
Semiconductor, Inc. "The consortium will help to bring about a game-changing
system solution for system designers and manufacturers that is expected to
outperform memory options offered today."
"HMC is unlike anything currently on the radar," said Robert Feurle,
Micron's Vice President for DRAM Marketing. "HMC brings a new level of
capability to memory that provides exponential performance and efficiency
gains that will redefine the future of memory. Guidance by the industry
consortium will help drive the fastest possible adoption of the technology,
resulting in what we believe will be radical improvements to computing
systems."
The HMCC's memory specifications will be co-developed among the consortium
members. The consortium is open to an unlimited number of adopters, with the
opportunity to receive early access to draft specifications and participate
in specification discussions and development.