14 DAY TRIAL // DDR4 memory seems to be coming out every other week now. Not as often as we might have expected or hoped perhaps, but often enough considering that consumer products still can't use the tech for the most part. SK Hynix has just made its latest contribution.
In the attached picture you have what SK Hynix claims is “the world's highest density 16 GB (Gigabytes) of NVDIMM (Non Volatile DIMM) based on 4 Gb (Gigabit) DDR4 using its advanced 20 nm class technology.”
When taken all together, it's not as big a deal as it sounds, since NVDIMM is just one type of memory module.
Also, it kind of pales in comparison to the 32 GB DDR4 module from Samsung, the RVDIMM that we brought to you earlier today (October 21, 2014). But that's neither here nor there.
The SK Hynix 16 GB NVDIMM
In essence, it combines DRAM and NAND Flash in a single module, along with the module controller microprocessor.
This means that data from the DRAM is easily sent to NAND chips once the processing is complete. And with NAND having double the density of the DRAM, it can be done easily and repeatedly.
Having all chips on the same PCB also reduces power loss from the transfer and means that data can be safely stored and restored in case of sudden power loss.
All the while, the performance is no lower than that of standard DDR4 memory modules: 1.2V current, 2,133 MHz clock speed, 64-bit I/O, and processing speed of up to 17 GB of data per second.
Not bad at all for what is essentially a fusion of two technologies that were not initially envisioned as interchangeable, but which seem to be fusing and crossing over into each other's turf anyway.
And with the extra stability enabled by NAND, the new NVDIMM from SK Hynix might just become the prime option on the server memory market.
All that's left is for modules of higher capacity, and maybe other form factors, to adopt the NVDIMM memory/storage combo, and for the capacity to reach above 16 GB. Servers are famous for allowing much more than that per slot after all, and it would be a shame for things to stop here, or even slow down.
Availability and pricing
As is customary for enterprise/server products, the price wasn't revealed in the press release. Shipments should start shortly though, assuming they haven't already. Depends on how soon you get a call in and how viciously you haggle.